MEMORY - improving the accuracy of eyewitness testimony: Cognitive interview

Question 1

what is the cognitive interview?

Answer 1

a method of interviewing eyewitnesses to help them retrieve more accurate memories.

Question 2

what are the 4 stages of cognitive interview?

Answer 2

1. REPORT EVERYTHING - every detail must be reported, could trigger other memories
2. REINSTATE THE CONTEXT - witness should imagine the environment + emotions.
3. REVERSE THE ORDER- events recalled in different orders from original sequence= prevents dishonesty
4. CHANGE PERSPECTIVE - recall incident from other peoples POV = disrupts expectation + effect of schema on recall.

Question 3

what is the enhanced cognitive interview?

Answer 3

Fisher et al = additional elements to the CI to focus on the social dynamics of interaction. Also reduces eyewitness anxiety, minimising distractions and asking open end questions.

Question 4

give STRENGTHS of the cognitive interview?.

Answer 4

+ support for the effectiveness of the CI = Kohnken et al = meta analysis = found 41% increase in accurate information compared to police standard interviews = CI is effective technique in helping witnesses to recall information that is stored in memory.

+ pick and mix approach is more flexible = individuals can develop their own approach according to what works best for them.

Question 5

give LIMITATIONS of the cognitive interview?

Answer 5

• Kohnken = found increased amount of info recalled by Ps. CI may sacrifice quality (accuracy) of EWT in favour of quantity ( amount of details)
• Milne + Bull = using a combination of ‘report everything’ and ‘ reinstate context’ produce better recall than any of the other elements combined. not all aspects of cognitive interview is used
• CI is more time consuming
  More time in training than standard police interviews. So not a realistic method for police officers to use and might be better to focus on just a few key elements.