The Cognitive interview

Question 1

What is the primary goal of the cognitive interview?

Answer 1

To enhance the retrieval of accurate memories from witnesses.

Question 2

Fill in the blank: The cognitive interview technique was developed by __________ and __________.

Answer 2

Geiselman and Fisher

Question 3

What are the 4 components of the cognitive interview?

Answer 3

• Report everything: Interviewees are told to recall everything that they remember; this may trigger them to remember other details
• Reinstating the context: The interviewer asks the witness to vividly picture the environment and their emotions at the time of the event, helping to activate relevant memories (context-dependent forgetting)
• Change order: Instead of recounting events chronologically, the witness is asked to recall them backwards, which can prevent lying
• Change perspective: The witness is asked to recall the event from another person’s point of view, disrupting their usual schema and potentially revealing new details

Question 4

What are the strengths and limits of the cognitive interview?

Answer 4

Strengths:
- Supporting research (Kohnken et al - CI gave 41% increase in accuracy compared to police interview)
Limits:
- No format makes it more difficult to make conclusions
- Time consuming (it requires special training to make witness relax)
- Some elements are ineffective (RE and RC produced the best recall)