Week 4 - Investigative Interviewing Techniques Flashcards
What are three ways that we can think about memory?
- stored information
- retrieved information
- output on a memory test
What is the initial consideration with testimony and recall reliability?
What do we mean by accuracy? Is it quantity, or is it accuracy?
How can we distinguish accuracy in testimony and recal
Global item vs. item accuracy - one error doesn’t equal an unreliable witness
What are the two interacting processes in the strategic regulation of memory outputs?
- monitoring process (assessing how likely that info is to be accurate)
- control processes (determine what witnesses report, determine the level of detail reported)
How do witnesses decide that retrieved detail is correct (monitoring process)?
Reliance on heuristics that are often, but not always reliable:
- amount and strength of info retrieved that supports the answer
- fluency (ease) with which information comes to mind
What is involved in the control processes?
- regulating report opinion (volunteering vs witholding info)
- regulating grain size (or precision), (detailed vs vague responses)
What is the tradeoff that occurs in the control processes?
Informativeness vs accuracy tradeoff (hence, strategic regulation)
What is report option and grain size influenced by when it comes to control processes?
- confidence (guided by heuristics)
- constraints imposed at test by interviewer
(e. g., “only tell us things about which you are certain” vs. “tell us everything so we can follow every possible lead”)
What is the key implication for strategic regulation in testimony and recall?
- EWs probably wont’ tell us everything they remember
- Reporting depends on
- witness metacognitions
- interviewer behaviour
How much research is there on strategic regulation for EW recall?
limited
What are some key issues with variables associated with accuracy?
- interview format (closed vs. open)
- number of interviews (freezing, RIF)
- delay to first interview and intervals between interviews
Closed questions:
increase reporting and decrease accuracy/
open interviews are:
recommended pratice
___ and __ can vary across interviews
report option, grain size
What is crucial for activating and maintaining trace strength?
early interview
What does emotional arousal predict at encoding (supposedly).
And is the data consistent with this?
Inverted U shape of arousal - medium arousal is optimal for encoding.
The data is not consistent with this hypothesis.
What is seen when it comes to the effects of emotional arousal? What has real life/field studies shown?
- unpleasant events recalled quite well
- holocaust survivors, ‘flashbulb’ memories
In the lab studies, what has research shown us with the effects of emotional arousal?
- unpleasant events recalled poorly
- interactions are likely
Are highly negative emotional events well remembered?
Not always - evidence confusing.
What is interacting when looking at how much we remember when it comes to emotional arousal?
emotional content x type of detail mediated by attention
Over multiple interviews, testimonial inconsistencies are likely:
- contradictions
- reminiscence
Most of us are unlikely to be convinced by witnesses who:
- contradict themselves
- forget information reported at earlier interviews
- report new information at later interviews
What percentages of witnesses produce contradictions in testimony?
97%
Contradictions in testimony predict accuracy at item level, by are
only very weakly related to global accuracy.
Why does reminiscence seem to violate the basic principles of memory (and seems to reflect external influences instead)?
- memory weakens over time
- recall less as time passes
What percentage of witnesses display reminiscence?
98%
Reminiscence may be an effect of what?
multiple interviews and interview format
Reminiscent details can have what in terms of accuracy?
High accuracy
Reminiscent details are usually not related to what?
Global accuracy.
Recall accuracy will be determined by what two points?
- effectiveness of E/W monitoring and control processes
2. Interviewing variables (format, delay, etc)
Testimonial inconsistencies are NOT indicative of what reliability?
global
What’s the foundation of all interviews?
The cognitive interview
What are the 3 problems in interviewing?
- witness expectations
- interviewer expectations
- lack of (good) standardised techniques
How was the cognitive interview developed? (2)
- as standard procedure for effective interviewing
- based on psychological principles of memory and effective communication
What is the foundational understanding that the cognitive interview is based on?
- recall memory is (re)constructive
- how you ask the question affects the answer you get
- designed to assist retrieval, optimise reporting
- understanding memory functioning and social dynamics
What are 3 things behind the cognitive interview principle, aiding retrieval?
- (mental)reinstatement of context
- multiple and varied retrieval attempts
- limited mental resources (reduce distractions, avoid disruptions, evidence that eye closing works)
How do we optimise reporting in the cognitive interview?
- Active witness participation (although they often wait to be prompted)
- crime relevant information (guide witness, strategic use of closed questions/prompts)
- promote detailed responses (encourage witness not to edit responses, provide as much detail as possible)
- non verbal responding (drawing etc)
What are the 5 stages of the cognitive interview? But will vary based on other factors.
- introduction/rapport building
- open ended narrative
- probing
- review
- closing
The cognitive interview is not a ___ more of a ____
formula, toolbox
What is the basic methodology of cognitive interview research?
volunteer Ps, non violent videos, hours or days delay, cognitive interview VS. standard police interview or a structured interview.
What were the key cognitive interview findings? (3)
- Elicits more correct information than standard interview.
- Leads interviewer retaining more information than standard interview.
- Advantage holds for person, place and event descriptions.
In the real world, CI training with pre and post training, and trainings vs. no training showed how much of an increase in information?
50%, 60%
The additional info received in the CI had approx 95% what?
accuracy/corroboration
What are the 4 key benefits of CI training?
- decreased number of Q’s asked
- decreased number of leading Q’s
- increased proportion of open ended questions
- increased number of pauses (thinking time)
What are the 3 basic findings found from lab and field studies in a variety of settings, to do with the cognitive interview?
- CI changes style of interview
- CI elicits more correct information
- No decrease in accuracy
What are 3 limitations of the CI?
- uncooperative witnesses
- only useful early on (before EW rehearse report)
- time consuming and hard work
What is the implication of the CI only being useful early on?
We can’t do it at the crime scene.
What is the self administered interview?
given at crime scene, booklet E/W work through at own pace
Recall at initial interview found that the self administered interview elicits ____ with no cost to accuracy of recalled info, compared to free recall
more
Recall after a 1 week delay found that participants who completed the self administered interview straight after event, recall ___ info with ____ accuracy than Ps who do not, on later free recall task
More, Higher
What are 2 problems for the legal system?
- If there are multiple perpetrators, individual perpetrators may admit presence but dispute participatory acts
- memory errors for actions/sequence of events can discredit an otherwise reliable witness
What are ‘timeline’ techniques?
- common sense making tool in investigations
- common in autobiographical memory research
- for autobiographical information, timeline formats enhance recall accuracy
We want to know if we can use timeline techniques for ______
episodic recall
What are the key components on creating a timeline tool?
- physical timeline
- report cards (action cards, person description cards)
- start anywhere and re arrange cards
- link actions or sequence info to individuals involved
- use as many cards as possible
Timeline techniques can provide useful ___ info, and info about _____.
sequencing
multiple perpetrator crimes
