the collection and use of evidence from witnesses

Question 1

how is an interrogation different to an interview?

Answer 1

because it is accusatory

Question 2

how does an interrogation start?

Answer 2

the investigator starts by telling the suspect that there is no doubt as to their guilt. designed to increase arousal and anxiety.

Question 3

what does the PACE require?

Answer 3

all evidence to be recorded in triplicate, to ensure it cannot be tampered with

Question 4

what is inbau’s (1986) interrogation technique?

Answer 4

a nine-step process that is a direct confrontation, interrupts any denial, reinforces sincerity by staying close, and poses the alternative question- with both options being admissions of guilt

Question 5

dangers of using interrogation

Answer 5

unethical; miss important details from the crime; induces false confession; leading questions alter memory; too much attention paid on one suspect; innocent until proven guilty

Question 6

what four factors did gudjonnson (2003) suggest surround every confession?

Answer 6

the defendant; the arrest, mental/physical state; interrogation

Question 7

false confessions and the defendant

Answer 7

false confessions are more likely from the very young, very old, low IQ, mentally ill

Question 8

false confessions and the arrest

Answer 8

suddenly, violently, in the middle of the night/long periods of time are more likely to falsely confess

Question 9

false confessions and mental/physical state

Answer 9

stressed, anxious, ill or intoxicated

Question 10

false confessions and interrogation

Answer 10

coercive, biased/leading interview tactics can encourage vulnerable suspects to falsely confess

Question 11

what can identify those likely to falsely confess?

Answer 11

scoring high on the gudjonnson suggestibility scale

Question 12

example of false confessions

Answer 12

four of the birmingham six who confessed scored higher than those who protested their innocence

Question 13

how does PACE (1984) prevent false confession?

Answer 13

• interviews must be recorded and saved in triplicate
• one sealed in front of suspect, police and solicits
• reading of rights must take place
• suspect has right to a solicitor

Question 14

what is the cognitive interview?

Answer 14

based largely on loftus’ work on memory- designed to take account of well known cognitive functions and avoid leading the witness.
involves reinstating the context of the event and using a variety of retrieval methods.

Question 15

what two principle assumptions does the cognitive interview rest on?

Answer 15

1) memory of an event is made up of an interconnected network
2) retrieval from memory will be more effective if the context surrounding the original events can be reinstated

Question 16

what are the first basic of the cognitive interview?

Answer 16

1) report everything- free recall may enrich memory and increase accuracy

Question 17

what is the second basic of the cognitive interview?

Answer 17

2) recall in different temporal orders- may offer cues to trigger recall and prevent schemas from distorting the memory

Question 18

what is the third basic of the cognitive interview?

Answer 18

3) mental reinstatement of context- mentally take them back to the scene by asking about their senses and feelings at the time

Question 19

what is the fourth basic of the cognitive interview?

Answer 19

4) recall from a variety of different perspectives- by describing events as others might have seen it avoids the possibility of reconstructing their own memory of the event

Question 20

what is the enhanced cognitive interview?

Answer 20

a revision of the CI technique to include a framework, and recommends chatting about a neutral topic before the interview to help the witness relax- designed by fisher and geiselman

Question 21

evaluation of the CI and ECI

Answer 21

• techniques are too time consuming to use fully in investigation- often not all stages are used
• when used properly, it offers an established, thorough and effective method with a scientific basis in empirical research
• there are a number of retrieval techniques that can be used separately when time is limited

Question 22

what did memon and higham’s study look at?

Answer 22

all lab research over the last 25 years; 57 articles across 65 experiments. all obtained via online databases and had to be from a peer reviewed journal.

Question 23

what did memon and higham review?

Answer 23

research into the cognitive interview and made suggestions and recommendations

Question 24

what did memon and higham find?

Answer 24

the cognitive reinstatement aspect seems most effective- although it could be that using the cognitive interview as a while has a synergising effect

Question 25

what good comparison did memon and higham recommend?

Answer 25

• the guided memory interview would be a good comparison to test the effectiveness of cognitive reinstatement
• the structured interview would allow comparison with the cognitive components of the CI

Question 26

what did memon and higham conclude about research?

Answer 26

research has been too simplistic in what constitutes memory, and training needs to be effective and trainers must be credible and respected

Question 27

how can interview techniques be applied in real life?

Answer 27

the UK police adapted ECI into the PEACE technique