EWT CI eval

• EWT CI eval research support

  Supporting research: Köhnken et al completed a meta-analysis of 55 studies and found that on average, there was an increase of 41% in the amount of correct info generated in the CI compared with standard interviewing techniques.

  This shows that the CI is an effective technique in helping witnesses to recall info that is stored in memory but not immediately accessible
• EWT CI eval limitation practical problems

  Police may be reluctant to use the CI bc it takes much more time than the standard police interview

  For e.g, more time is needed to establish rapport with the witness and allow them to relax

  The CI also requires special training and many forces have not been able to provide more than a few hours

  For e.g, Mermon et al (1994) found that experienced detectives, who received a brief training session in the use of CI (4 hours), did not produce any significant increases (compared to standard interviewing techniques) in the amount of info gained from witnesses about an incident
• EWT CI eval limitation creates innacurate info

  The techniques of the CI aim to increase the amount of correct info remembered but the recall of incorrect info may also be increased

  Köhnken et al found an 81% increase of correct info but also a 61% increase of incorrect information (false positives) when the enhanced CI was compared to a standard interview

  This means that police need to treat all info collected from CIs with caution as it doesn't guarantee accuracy
• EWT CI eval strength real life application

  Stein and Mermon tested the effectiveness of the CI in Brazil- a country in which the current model of police questioning is based on interrogation and ill treatment

  Found the CI increased the amount of correct info obtained from witnesses

  CI was far superior in producing forensically rich info e.g a detailed description of the man holding a gun, which would have later allowed police to determine which of the criminals was armed

  Results suggest that techniques such as the CI may pave the way for a new approach to interviewing witnesses in Brazil, thus reducing the instances of justice not being served