Improving the accuracy of eyewitness testimony

• The cognitive interview was developed by Fisher & Geiselman
• Four techniques were used as part of the cognitive interview:

  • Report everything
  • Reinstatement of original context - in their mind
  • Reverse the order
  • change the perspective
• A strength is that there is supporting evidence to suggest the CI is an effective method of interviewing. Kohen et al, conducted a meta-analysis and found that there was an increase of 34% accuracy in recall when using the CI compared to a standard interview. This suggests that CI is an effective tool to increase the accuracy of EWT.
• It is quite difficult to establish which element of the CI is most effective. Different police forces use different/aspects. Thames Valley police force does not use the changing perspective component and other police forces may only use the 'reinstate context' component. This suggests that it is no longer one procedure, but a mixture of different techniques, which means it is difficult to conclude how the cognitive interview may be effective.