EWT-cognitive interview

• Cognitive interview - EWT

  • Fisher and Geiselman et al (1992) – eyewitness testimony could be improved with better interview techniques:
  • Report everything – including irrelenvant details since they could trigger something important.
  • Reinstate context- original scene created mentally/physically to recreate the context.
  • Reverse order- prevents reporting expectations of how events must have happened, preventing dishonesty.
  • Change perspective- disturbs the effect of expectations of the schemas effect
• Cognitive interview - EWT

  • Enhanced cognitive interview-
  • Fisher et al (1987)- focused on the social dynamics of the interview:
  • Eye contact
  • Slow speaking
  • Open-ended questions
  • Low distractions
  • All to reduce anxiety and calm the participants.
• Cognitive interview - EWT

  CPS- Support for effectiveness – 41% more accurate recall than standard interview – Köhnken et al 1999.

  CPW- Köhnken also found that it increases inaccurate information - main only the enhanced cognitive interview.
• Cognitve interview - EWT

  W- Milne and Bull (2002)- reporting everything and reinstating the context uses to gather make the best recall- confirming the polices suspicions that some are more useful than others.

  W- Ken bell and Wagstaff (1997) – takes longer to train/do and requires special training, making the full cognitive interview not realistic for the police to use.