Week Four - Recall Memory & Effective Interviewing Techniques Flashcards
Consideration for E/W recall memory?
Defining accuracy (eg quantity vs accuracy)
Accuracy across items (global vs item accuracy) - one error does not equal unreliable witness
Two control processes?
Report Option - volunteering vs withholding Grain Size - detailed vs vague informativeness vs accuracy tradeoff
What determines what witnesses report? (report option and grain size influenced by)
Report option and grain size influenced by:
- confidence (guided by heuristics)
- constraints imposed at test by interviewer
Interview variables associated with accuracy?
- interview format (closed vs. open)
- number of interviews
- delay to first interview & intervals between interviews
Interview format (closed vs. open)
closed Q’s increase reporting and decrease accuracy (suggestiveness, promoting guessing)
Number of interviews
report option and grain size can vary across interviews
freezing, retrieval induced forgetting
Delay to first interview & intervals between interviews
early interview crucial for activating and maintaining trace strength
Effects of emotional arousal? (real life)
– unpleasant events recalled quite well
– holocaust survivors, ‘flashbulb’ memories
Effects of emotional arousal? (lab)
– unpleasant events recalled poorly
– interactions are likely
however, lack ecological validity
Testimonial Consistency
Eyewitnesses are usually interviewed on a number of occasions
Over multiple interviews, testimonial inconsistencies are likely
Leads to
– 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
surveys of police, lawyers, judges and jurors indicate
inconsistency is viewed as hallmark of inaccuracy
Characteristics of testimony (perceived to be) associated with accuracy
contradictions
reminiscence
% who provide contradictions?
97% Brewer
Facts about contradictions?
- contradictions predict accuracy at item level
BUT - contradictions only very weakly related to global
accuracy
Reminiscence facts
Seems to violate basic principles of memory
– memory weakens over time
– recall less as time passes
Not indicative to global accuracy
% who provide contradictions?
98% (Gilbert & Fisher)
Recall accuracy will be determined by?
- effectiveness of E/Ws monitoring & control processes
2. interviewing variables (format, delay, etc.)
Why was the CI developed?
– as standard procedure for effective interviewing
– based on psychological principles of memory &
effective communication
CI was designed to?
– assist retrieval
– optimise reporting of information by witnesses
CI is based on?
Based on understanding of memory functioning & social
dynamics
Principles of the CI? (memory & cognition)
PRINCIPLES OF MEMORY AND COGNITION Aiding Retrieval – (Mental) Reinstatement of context – Multiple & varied retrieval attempts • Activate & strengthen multiple retrieval paths to stored info (e.g., reverse chronological order) – Limited mental resources • Reduce distractions (e.g., eye-closure) • Avoid interruptions
Principles of the CI? (social dynamics & communication)
PRINCIPLES OF SOCIAL DYNAMICS & COMMUNICATION
Optimising Reporting
– Active witness participation (Witnesses often wait to be prompted)
– Crime relevant information
• Guide witness to relevant topics
• Strategic use of closed questions/prompts
– Promote detailed responses
• Encourage witnesses to not edit responses
• Provide as much detail as possible
5 stages of the CI?
- Introduction / rapport building
- Open ended narrative
- Probing
- Review
- Closing
CI vs standard police interview?
Enhanced CI elicits more correct information than standard interview
– Approx. 50 - 60%
Enhanced CI leads to interviewer retaining more information than standard interview
– Approx. 40 %
Advantage holds for person, place, and event descriptions
CI pre-training vs post-training?
50% more information
Training in CI vs. no training?
60% more information
CI training accuracy/corroboration?
Accuracy / corroboration: Approx. 95%
CI training in general?
– Decreased number of Q’s asked
– Decreased number of leading Q’s
– Increased proportion of open ended questions
– Increased number of pauses
Summary of basic CI findings?
- CI changes style of interview
- CI elicits more correct information
- No decrease in accuracy
Limitations to CI?
- Uncooperative witnesses
- Only useful early on (before EWs rehearse report)
- Time consuming & hard work!
Self-administered Interview?
Was developed due to the time length and work of the CI
Booklet E/Ws work through at own pace
- Based on principles of enhanced CI (context reinstatement, varied retrieval etc.)
The can run CI with those most important
Empirical Evaluation – SAI
Expt 1
Recall at initial interview:
- SAI elicits more info w/ no cost to accuracy of recalled info, compared to FR task
Expt 2
Recall after 1 week delay:
- Ps who complete SAI straight after event recall more
info w/ higher accuracy than Ps who do not, on later FR task
‘Timeline’ Techniques
Common ‘sense-making’ tool in investigations
Common in autobiographical memory research
For autobiographical information, timeline formats
enhance recall accuracy
Creating a Timeline Tool
Key Components – Physical Timeline – Report Cards • Action Cards • Person Description Cards
Instructions in a Timeline Tool?
– Person Descriptions Cards: details about the people involved in the event.
– Action Cards: actions / sequence information.
– Link actions or sequence information to individuals involved.
– Start anywhere and re-arrange cards as necessary.
– Use as many cards as necessary
Sequencing errors and Timeline technique?
Significant drop in sequencing errors with timeline technique
Empirical Evaluation – Timeline
More correct information reported in the (interactive)
Timeline and Record Card conditions
– Enhanced person description
– At no cost to accuracy
More perpetrator-specific actions correctly reported (for
all 5 perpetrators) in the Timeline condition
– At no cost to accuracy
Summary of the 3 interviewing techniques?
CI increases correct info without sig increasing
incorrect information
SAI may be a useful tool for initial interview to
a) enhance initial recall
b) prevent forgetting, decay etc.
Timeline techniques can provide useful sequencing info, and info about multiple perp crimes
