EWT: cognitive interview

• cognitive interview

  developed by geiselman to increase the accuracy of EWT
• 1. report everything 


  Witnesses are encouraged to recall all details, even if they seem irrelevant, as small details may trigger important memories.
• 2) reinstate the context 


  Witnesses mentally recreate the environment and emotions of the event, based on context-dependent memory principles. this makes memories more accessible. for example what was the weather like
• 3) reverse the order


  Events are recalled in a different sequence (e.g., backward) to prevent expectations, schemas or assumptions from influencing memory.
• 4) change the perspective


  Witnesses recall the event from another person’s viewpoint such as the criminals, to reduce the impact of personal biases and schemas
• enhanced cognitive interview - Geiselman

  is an improved version of the cognitive interview. It includes additional techniques to improve communication between the interviewer and witness, focusing on reducing anxiety, allowing pauses, and increasing rapport.
• kohnken (strength)

  conducted a meta-analysis and found that the CI produced 34% more correct information than standard police interviews. This suggests it is a useful tool for improving eyewitness testimony.
• time consuming and needs training (limitation)

  The CI takes longer to conduct than standard interviews, as it involves multiple techniques. Police officers also require special training, which can be costly and difficult to implement consistently across different law enforcement agencies.
• milne and bull (strength)

  found that the report everything and reinstate the context were the most effective. This suggests that a simplified version of the CI could still improve recall, supporting its effectiveness while making it more practical.
• kohnken (limitation)

  While the CI improves recall, it also increases the number of incorrect details. kohnken found that it led to more false information alongside accurate details, which raises concerns about its reliability in legal cases.