cognitive interviews

• 1. REINSTATE CONTEXT

  recreate the internal state of the witness and the external context/cues

  this overcomes context dependant forgetting
• 2. REPORT EVERYTHING

  the witness should report everything, even minor details

  trivial memories can cue other memories
• 3. RECALL FROM A CHANGED POV

  provide details from other POVs

  this disrupts expectations which improves accuracy
• 4. RECALL IN REVERSE

  provide details in different orders

  this prevents lying
• ENHANCED CI:

  • minimise distractions

  allows focus on the questions

  • ask open ended questions

  allows the witness to provide detail

  • pause after each question

  gives the witness time to think and add more detail

  • adapt language used to fit the witness
• Fisher et al (1990)

  tested cognitive interviews in real life setting: Miami police

  witnesses produced 46% more information

  over 90% of this information was accurate
• Geiselman (1985)

  showed participants videos of stimulated crime

  tested them with normal, cognitive and hypnotic interviews

  cognitive interviews elicited more information but more of it was false
• Geiselman et al (1985)

  developed the cognitive interview to improve recall accuracy