Cognitive Interview

• Cognitive Interview


  A method of interviewing eyewitnesses to help them retrieve more accurate memories. It uses four main techniques, all based on evidence-based psychological knowledge of human memory - report everything, reinstate the context, reverse the order and change perspective
• Change or reverse order


  Recall the scene in a different chronological order, for example, what had happened last instead of the first thing you can recall. Witnesses must do this to prevent expectation of what happened influencing their recall, or to prevent dishonesty
• Change perspective


  Try tor recall the sequence of events from someone else's point of view. Witnesses are encouraged to do this to prevent expectation or schema of events disrupting their recall
• Reinstatement of context


  Revisit the scene in vivo (in the mind) or in vitro (physically). Witnesses are encouraged to return to the context in their mind and picture the environment, what they could see and how they felt.
• Report everything


  Remember information associated with all your senses. Witnesses are encouraged to recall every single detail of the event no matter how insignificant it might appear. It doesn't matter how confident the witness is, these details might trigger other memories.