EWT and CI

• Geiselman 1984 - developed CI based in proven psychological principles regarding effective memory recall:

  • Mental reinstatement of original context, getting a full picture like the weather can make the memories more accessible
  • Report everything, even irrelevant details as memories are interconnected
  • Change order, as recollections are influenced by schema, so going in reverse order, or starting from middle of event
  • Change perspective like imagining what other people saw, again to disrupt the role of schemas
• AO3 Support

  • Meta analysis of 55 studies found increase of 41% in accurate info recalled when interviewed with CI rather than SI (Köhnken 1999), though the Ps often were volunteers tested in lab
  • CI found to be most effective when using mainly a combination of mental reinstatement and report everything, Milne and Bull 2002
  • CI may aid older witnesses , as it encourages recall of everything they remember, not just things they perceive as useful. Mello and Fisher 1996, CI strength in comparison to SI far greater with EW of average age of 72
• AO3 Criticism

  • CI seems to more so improve quantity rather than quality of info. Köhnken 1999, 81% increase of correct info using CI, but also 61% increase in false info. All info from CI needs to be treated by police with caution
  • Kebbell and Wagstaff (1996) find that police see this technique as requiring more time than is often available, and that they prefer using strategies to limit EW report to acquire the exact info they need within the minimum amount of info possible. They also found that CI requires extensive training that many forces do not have the time for
• AO3 criticism:

  • Hard to compare CI effectiveness, as in real life police forces usually pick and choose the aspects they use. Eg, Thames Valley Police don't use changing perspectives, and other forces say they only use report everything and reinstate context (Kebbell and Wagstaff 1996)