Memory:Improving the accuracy of eyewitness testimony - the cognitive interview Flashcards
What is the cognitive interview?
a questioning technique used by the police to enhance retrieval of information about a crime scene from an eyewitness’ or victim’s memory.
What are the 4 stages of the CI?
1) Mental reinstatement
2) Report everything
3) Change order
4) Change perspective
What is mental reinstatement?
Mental reinstatement of both the physical and psychological environment of the original incident. The researcher should access memories by providing contextual and emotional cues. The interview may ask questions such as ‘think about the day… what had you been doing…’
What’s reporting everything?
The interviewer encourages the individual to report every detail of the event without emission of anything even if deemed insignificant. The interviewer might say ‘I’m interested about absolutely everything.’ This improves EWT as memories are interconnected and recollection of an insignificant item may cue a multitude of useful memories.
What is changing order?
Alternative ways through the timeline e.g recalling the events in reverse order. This removes the influence of schemas as recalling chronologically means expectations can influence memories and reversal prevents this.
What is changing perspective?
The interviewee is asked to recall from multiple different perspectives e.g a bystander. This disrupts the effect of schemas on recall.
What are the 4 AO3 points for CI?
+Supporting evidence
+Strength of the cognitive interview
+/- Experimental design – for research evidence
-Issues with using the cognitive interview
(+AO3) What is the supporting evidence for CI?
Geiselman study – 2 groups of 8 detectives used either the cognitive interview or the standard police interview which were recorded. The cognitive interview abstracted 41% more accurate details. The cognitive interview was also likely to produce incorrect details.
(+AO3) What is the strength of the CI?
Mitigates effects of individual differences such as age. Stereotypes about elderly memory makes them overly cautious with their account. CI’s stress in every detail regardless of significance removes this effect. CI therefore, increases info obtained by even more in elderly individuals.
(+/-AO3) Why is the experimental design both a strength and a weakness of CI?
Geiselman’s study used an independent groups design.
Strengths – ppts won’t have guessed the aim of the study and so order effects won’t impact the findings which could have a big impact in this particular study.
Weaknesses – ppt variables e.g higher or lower IQ’s. Different interviewers who may have been biased due to the study.
(-AO3) What is the weakness of the CI?
Police suggests that the CI takes more time than what nah be available.
There also special training required to conduct the CI which needs more funding which many forces are unable to provide.
