The Cognitive Interview Flashcards
1
Q
What is the ‘Cognitive Interview’?
A
- A method of interviewing eyewitnesses to help them retrieve more accurate memories.
- It uses four main techniques.
2
Q
What are the four main techniques used in ‘TCI’?
A
- Report Everything
- Reinstate the context
- Reverse the order
- Change perspective
3
Q
What is the ‘Report Everything’ technique and why is it used?
A
- Witnesses are encouraged to include every single detail of th event, even though it may feel irrelevant.
- Seemingly trivial details may highlight something that has been overlooked that may be important. It may also trigger other important memories.
4
Q
What is the ‘Reinstate the Context’ technique and why is it used?
A
- The witness should return to the original crime scene ‘in their mind’ and imagine the environment and their emotions.
- Reinstating the physical and mental context may act as cues to trigger recall.
5
Q
What is the ‘Reverse the Order’ technique and why is it used?
A
- Events should be recalled in a different chronological order to the original sequence.
- This helps to verify accuracy. It prevents people reporting their expectations of how the event must have happened rather than the actual event. It also reveals dishonesty as it is more difficult to produce an untruthful account in reverse order.
6
Q
What is the ‘Change Perspective’ technique and why is it used?
A
- Witnesses should recall the incident from other people’s perspectives.
- This promotes a more ‘holistic’ view of all the event which may enhance recall. It also disrupts the effect of expectations and schema on recall.
7
Q
Evaluate the ‘Cognitive Interview’?
A
- It is Time consuming to conduct - More time is needed to establish a report with the witness and allow them to relax. This interviews technique therefore takes up more resources than the standard police interview. Police offers also need training to carry on the CI.
