The Cognitive Interview

Question 1

What did Fisher and Geiselman argue?

Answer 1

EWT can be improved by improving the polices techniques when interviewing witnesses

Question 2

What did Fisher and Geiselman suggest?

Answer 2

techniques should be more psychological based

using insights into how memory works

Question 3

What are the stages of the cognitive interview?

Answer 3

1. report everything
2. reinstate the context
3. reverse the order
4. change perspective

Question 4

CI - report everything

Answer 4

Witnesses encouraged to recall every detail, even it is seems irrelevant.

seemingly trivial memories may trigger important memories

Question 5

CI - reinstate the context

Answer 5

witnesses should return to the original crime scene ‘in their mind’

• imagine environment + emotions felt

(relates to context dependant forgetting)

Question 6

CI - reverse in order

Answer 6

Event should be recalled in different chronological order

Question 7

what does ‘reverse in order’ prevent?

Answer 7

• people reporting expectations on how the event must of happened
• dishonesty

Question 8

CI - change in perspective

Answer 8

witnesses should recall the incident from other peoples perspective

Question 9

why do we ‘change perspective’ in CI?

Answer 9

to disrupt effect of expectations + schemas on recall

Question 10

how do schemas disrupt the accuracy of CI?

Answer 10

a schema of a particular setting generates expectations of what would have happened

the schema is then recalled instead of what actually happened

Question 11

what is the enhanced cognitive interview?

Answer 11

Additional elements were added by Fisher et al

focusing on the social dynamic of the interaction

e.g interviewer needs to know when to establish eye contact