cognitive interview

• cognitive interview

  aims to help provide more accurate EWT - uses four techniques: context reinstatement, report everything, change the perspective and reverse the order - Fisher and Geisleman
• context reinstatement

  asking witnesses to imagine themselves back at the scene - encouraged to try and imagine everything from how they were feeling to aspects of the environment - provides retrieval cues to access memory of the event
• report everything

  interviewer encourages eyewitness to report every detail of the event even if it seems irrelevant - what might seem irrelevant to eyewitness may be of importance to investigation - irrelevant details may serve as retrieval cues to help prompt more relevant details to be recalled
• changing the perspective

  witness asked to recall multiple perspectives like how it appeared to other people - psychological research shown memories can be retrieved through a number of different routes and is more productive to cary access routes in questioning - reduces influence of schema
• reverse the order

  interviewer may try alternative ways through the time line of the incident - may get witness to recall target event starting at the event and tracking backwards - to try and retrieve memories via a number of different routes to improve accuracy
• Enhanced cognitive interview

  Fischer developed additional elements to cognitive interview focusing on social dynamics - built on 4 main techniques but ensures interviewer knows when to establish eye contact and when not, how to reduce anxiety, minimising distractions, getting the witness to speak slowly and asking open-ended questions
• COGNITIVE INTERVIEW EVALUATION - Kohnken

  meta-analysis of 53 studies found cognitive interviews generated 34% more correct information than standard interviewing techniques - concluded cognitive interview was a more effective interview technique than older methods - Supports that cognitive interview increases accuracy
• COGNITIVE INTERVIEW EVALUATION - positive effect on economy

  improving accuracy of EWT may improve efficiency in legal system - may help police identify criminals sooner by maximising information eyewitnesses can give - reduced waste and improves efficiency in justice system
• COGNITIVE INTERVIEW EVALUATION - ethical issues

  asking participants to mentally relive traumatic experiences may lead to lack of protection from harm - someone who witness a violent murder may find going into vivid detail too traumatic - goes against ethical code of conduct
• COGNITIVE INTERVIEW EVALUATION - police criticised amount of time interview took


  officers felt unable to conduct full cognitive interview due to lack of time available and need key details rather than great detail - e.g. officers often favoured using RE and CR but wouldn't spend time using CP and RO - suggests not all techniques are useful