Memory (cognitive Interview) Flashcards
What is cognitive interview?
A method of interviewing eyewitnesses to help them retrieve more accurate memories. They work because they reduce inaccuracies caused by leading questions and anxiety and they increase retrieval cues. A retrieval queue is anything that helps retrieve information from long-term memory.
What are the four main techniques used in cognitive interview?
Context reinstatement, report everything, recall in reverse order, recall from a changed perspective.
What is done in the Context Reinstatement technique of the cognitive interview?
Questions which specifically require witnesses to mentally recreate an image of the situation including details such as their emotions and the environment which may act as retrieval cues.
What is done in the “Report Everything” technique of the cognitive interview?
witness is asked to report everything even if the details aren’t important. This potentially could be useful information that is overlooked and/or act as retrieval cues.
What is done in the Recall in Reverse Order technique of cognitive interview?
Interviewer asks witness to recall the events in reverse chronological order (from end to beginning). This is to prevent reporting of expectations of how it must’ve happened and dishonesty as it is harder to produce an untruthful response if they reverse it).
What is done in recall from a changed perspective
Asks the eyewitness to mentally recreate the situation from different points of view, for e.g what a different witness would’ve saw at the scene. This disrupts effect of schema and promotes more of a holistic view for recall.
What additional techniques are used in enhanced cognitive interview other than the main four?
Avoid direct questions (reduces chances of witness being asked leading questions and reduce accuracy of the testimony)
Avoid interruptions because they might increase anxiety which reduces accuracy.
