Lesson 12 Flashcards
Fisher et al
- studied real police interviews for 4 months and found questions to be brief, direct, fact based, and closed
- witnesses were interrupted and not allowed to expand
- this all contributes to the failure of witness recall
Geiselman et al
developed cognitive interview
Stage 1: Context reinstatement
witness mentally recreates image of the situation including details of environment and emotional state (acts as retrieval cues)
Stage 2: Report everything
witness recalls all details about the event, even ones they deem unimportant- may highlight overlooked details or may trigger memories
Stage 3: Recall from a changed perspective
witness mentally recreates the situation from a different point of view = promotes a more holistic view of the situation
Stage 4: Recall from a reverse order
witness recalls event in a different chronological order which verifies the accuracy of their account
What components are in enhanced cognitive interview?
- encourage witness to relax and speak slowly (reduces anxiety)
- avoid distractions
- use open ended questions
- offer comments to help clarify witness statements
What are the strengths of cognitive interview?
- Gieselman et al showed participants a video of a simulated crime and tested their recall using cognitive interview, standard interview, and hypnosis = cognitive interview led to the most recall
- Fisher trained police in Miami to use enhanced cognitive interview and they found a 46% increase in the amount of info given by witness and 90% of this was accurate
What are the limitations of cognitive interview?
- Koehnken et al found witnesses recalled more incorrect info using cognitive interview compared to standard as detailed recall increases the chance of mistake
- it’s time consuming - police officers don’t have time or training to resources
- Memon et al reported that police found the ‘recall in changed perspective’ causes witnesses to speculate rather than reporting what they actually saw
