Memory: Improving Eyewitness Testimonies Flashcards
What did Fisher and Geiselmann argue?
accuracy of EWTs could be improved through interviewing techniques
What did Fisher and Geiselmamn develop?
the cognitive interview
What is the cognitive interview a method of?
interviewing eyewitnesses to help accuracy of retrieval through psychological insights into how memory works. comprised of four key techniques: Report Everything, Reinstate Context, Reverse Order and Change Perspective.
What happens in the technique: Report Everything
witnesses encouraged to include every single detail of an event regardless of whether it seems irrelevant
Why is Report Everything necessary?
trivial data may be important, moreover, they may trigger other important details
What is involved in the technique: Reinstate the Context
witness asked to visualise or physically return to crime scene and picture details of their environment
What is Reinstate the Context relevant to?
context dependent forgetting and encoding specificity principle
What is involved in the technique: Reverse the Order?
events recalled in different CHRONOLOGICAL order
Why is Reverse the Order effective?
prevents people reporting schemas and expectations of event. checks for inconsistencies and dishonest.
What is involved in the technique: Change Perspective?
recall incident from perspective of others involved, view of perpetrator and other witnesses
Why is Change Perspective important?
disrupts effect of schemas and expectations on recall
Outline Geiselmann and Fishers method
-89 students watched simulation of crime -interviews two days later with standard police and cognitive interview
What were the results from Geiselmann and Fishers study?
average number of correct items: 41.5 CI and 29.3 SI
average number of incorrect items: 7.3 CI and 6.1 SI
What did Geiselmann and Fisher conclude?
effective in improving quantity of correct information called and has minimal effect on number of incorrect information recalled
What did Fisher et al further develop based on the Cognitive Interview?
Enhanced Cognitive Interview
What does the Enhanced Cognitive Interview revolve around?
focusing on social dynamics of situation
What are some key elements to Enhanced Cognitive Interview?
-understanding when to establish and relinquish eye contact -minimising distractions -reducing anxiety -open ended questions -witness talk slowly and calmly
How is Konkhen et als meta-analysis a strength to CI?
-combined data of 55 studies comparing standard interview and cognitive interview
-41% increase in accuracy of CI than SI -shows effectiveness of CI -high validity
What did Milne and Bull suggest that is a limitation to CI?
-combining report everything and reinstate context produced accurate recall than
techniques alone -casts doubt on credibility -questions necessity of method
What is a limitation to CI in terms of its uses?
-time consuming -requires training which is expensive -rapport needs to be established
-lack of resources -unrealistic expectation due to inefficiency -not practically available to all
