L12: Police Interviews

Question 1

What is the standard interview? Who is it reviewed by?

Answer 1

Fisher et al studies real police interviews over 4 months. They found that questions were brief, direct, fact based and closes. Witnesses were often interrupted and not allowed to expand. Fisher argued that this technique might be contributing to failure of eyewitness testimony to accurately recall the event they had witness

Question 2

What is the cognitive interview? Who is develoedby

Answer 2

Developed by Gieselman et al to improve police interview techniques and obtain more accurate info from eyewitness testimony. It consists of 4 stages.

Question 3

1. Context reinforcement

Answer 3

Mentally recreate image of situation, details, weather conditions, emotional state , feelings. Some of these details may act as retrieval cues (context-dependant cues) improving recall.

Question 4

2. Report everything

Answer 4

All details- highlights details that may have been overlooked and trigger more memories.

Question 5

3. Recall from changed perspective

Answer 5

Different point of view, reucdss influences of schema and provides a more holistic view.
Schemas: mental structures of preconceived ideas.

Question 6

4. Recall in reversed order

Answer 6

Diffeeeent chronological order- verifies accuracy of witnesses account

Question 7

Enhanced cognitive interview

Answer 7

Fisher added additional guidelines : Relax witnesses, avoid distraction, open ended q’s, commemts- verify what the witness is saying (what do you mean by that?)

Question 8

Evaluation, - (+) - simulated crime

Answer 8

Gieselman et al showed participants a video of simulated crime and tested recall through cognitive interview, standard interview or hypothesis. Cognitive was most effective.

Question 9

Evaluation- (+) fisher miami

Answer 9

Fisher trained officers in miami to use enhanced cognitive interview and there was an average of 46% increase in amount of info witnesses gave. 90% of info that could be verified was accurate

Question 10

Evaluation- keohnken (-)

Answer 10

Found that witnesses recalled more incorrect info when interviewed with cognitive interview compare to standard interview, because more detailed recall increases the chance of making a mistake

Question 11

Evaluation- cognitive interview resources (-)

Answer 11

Time consuming to implement and police officers do not have time training nor resources to use ur

Question 12

Evaluation- memon et al (recall from changed perspective)

Answer 12

This stage misleads witnesses into speculating about the event they witnessed rather than reporting what they actually saw. For this reason police were reluctant to use it.