AO1 - Cognitive Interview

• The cognitive interview was developed by Fisher and Geiselman, it is a technique used by police to interview witnesses after they have seen a crime or accident to help facilitate the most accurate and detailed memory possible. (1) Lots of open questions are asked where the witness is not interrupted and free to expand on their own answers. (1)
• Recall everything:

  • the witness is asked to report all details of the event even if it seems irrelevant
  • it improves EWT as it might act as a trigger to a memory and additional information
  • "what can you tell me about..."
• Context reinstatement:

  • the witness is asked to mentally place themselves back at the scene of the event and imagine the environment, such as the weather, what they could see, and their emotions
  • it improves EWT as using context and state dependent cues may help to trigger memories of the event that may appear forgotten but are not currently accessible due to retrieval failure
  • "close your eyes... what do you see, what's the weather like, etc."
• Recall in reverse order:

  • the witness is asked to report what happened in a different chronological order, for example, the end of the crime to the start
  • it improves EWT as it prevents witnesses reporting what they expected to happen (schemas) and prevents dishonesty
  • "tell us what happened from when the police arrived back to the start of the day"
• Recall from changed perspective:

  • the witness is asked to recall the incident from another person's perspective who witnessed the crime, e.g. another witness
  • it improves EWT as it may prevent witnesses reporting what they expected to happen (schemas)
  • "imagine you're the bank robber... what do you see?"