Cognitive interview

• Why was the cognitive interview developed?

  To help increase the accuracy of recall In eye witness testimony
• What are the 4 elements?

  Reinstate the context

  Report everything

  Recall in reverse order

  Change perspective
• What does reinstate context mean?

  When witness visualise themselves back at the scene of the crime and recall their surroundings and feelings
• What is the aim of reinstating context?

  To help trigger more memories and detail through state and context dependant cues that were encoded at the same time as crime
• What does report everything mean?

  Witnesses recall crime from start to finish including all details without interruption
• Why is report everything important?

  Because it may instigate the domino effect where one memory triggers another
• Why is it important that witness is not interrupted when reporting everything?

  Because standard police interviews often interrupt which means memories are blocked
• What does recall in reverse order mean?

  Witness recall the crime backwards and forward in time
• What is the aim of recalling in reverse order?

  As the task difficulty has increased it means the witness has to concentrate hard which increases recall
• What else does recalling in reverse order do?

  It blocks schemas from interfering with what witnesses actually saw so increases accuracy
• What does change perspective mean?

  Witnesses recall crime from a different view point
• How does changing perspective help?

  it blocks schemas from interfering with memories
• why was the enhanced cognitive interview developed?

  To provide extra training in interpersonal skills such as effective use of eye contact
• Why does interpersonal skills help the cognitive interview?

  It helps the witness to feel more relaxed which enchances recall
• What was the first part of the cognitive interview study?

  Participants were shown a video of a violent crime and interviewed two days later
• What 3 different interview techniques were used in the study?

  Standard police interviews

  Hypnosis interview

  The cognitive interview
• What were the results from the study?

  The mean number of correctly recalled facts was the highest in the cognitive interview
• What was the mean for correctly recalled facts in each interview?

  Cognitive interview was 41.2

  Hypnosis interview was 38

  Standard interview was 29.4
• Why is it time consuming and specialist training required?

  research found police forces have been unable to devote necessary time and funding to implement it properly which impacts its usefulness
• How does it produce more accurate and inaccurate information?

  Research found it increased accurate reports by 81% but also increased inaccurate reporting by 61%
• How does increased inaccuracy limit its effectiveness?

  Because police might waste time investigating false information
• What are the individual differences found with the CI?

  Older people may lack confidence in their memory recall due to stereotypes
• How does the CI overcome lack of confidence in older people?

  By encouraging the reporting of all events no matter how small the detail
• What has encouraging all details meant for older people?

  They had significantly enhanced recall compared to standard interview and more so then younger participants
• What is the external validity issue with the CI study?

  Artificial environment and poor video quality means they may not have taken it very seriously
• How does the study differ form irl eye witnessing impacts?

  It would have real consequences where they would have felt anxious which could effect recall