Memory - The Cognitive Interview Flashcards
What is the cognitive interview.
In order to increase the stored information’s access, there is a technique designed to help eyewitnesses recreate the original context of the event.
What did Fisher & Geiselman (1992) argue?
That eyewitness testimony could be improved if the techniques were better when the police interviewed the witnesses.
These techniques are based on psychological insights on how memory works.
What are the 4 techniques? State how each one works, and why it works, based on psychological principles of memory.
Report everything.
Reinstate the context.
Reverse the order.
Change the perspective.
Report everything?
Every single detail (significant or not) of the event is encouraged to be reported by the witness.
Why does reporting every thing work?
The details act as cues – this could trigger significant memories.
Reinstate the context?
The witnesses return to the scene of the crime in their mind and imagine what the environment is like.
Why does reinstating the context work?
It can help to overcome the encoding specificity principle (context and state dependent forgetting) because the cues when they were being encoded are present when they were being retrieved.
Reverse the order?
They recall the events in a different chronological order, such as end to start.
Why does reversing the order work?
Prevents schemas (specifically scripts) from filling in gaps in memory based on the people’s expectations of of how the event happened rather than the true events.
Furthermore, it prevents dishonesty as it’s hard for witnesses and suspects to produce and untruthful account if they have to reverse it.
What is a schema?
It was introduced by Bartlett (1932) that our memory is grouped in categories known as “schemas.” An example of a “schema” is what counts as “food”, what a “criminal” is like and how to behave at the counter at a restaurant.
When we recall an event, the schema tells us what’s supposed to happen. Our memory will make use of the schemas in order to keep things organised.
They might fill the gaps in our memory, which is called confabulation, and they might put pressure on our mind to remember things in a way that fits in with our schema but changing or removing details.
Change perspective?
The witnesses should recall the event from other witnesses’ perspective who were also present at the incident.
Why does changing the perspective work?
Disrupts the effect of expectations and schemas on recall.
What is the enhanced cognitive interview?
Fisher et al (1987) created additional elements to add to the cognitive interview. This is also known as enhanced cognitive interview. This involves the interviewers using social dynamics such as:
- Making sure that the room is free from distractions.
- Getting the witness to speak slowly.
- Asking open-ended questions.
- Taking steps to reduce anxiety.
- When to establish eye contact or relinquish it.
