Cognitive Interview Flashcards
Outline the cognitive interview (6 marks)
Fisher and Geiselman developed the Cognitive Interview (CI) to help facilitate the most accurate and detailed memory possible from witnesses. One technique used is recall everything; this asks the witness to report all details of the event even if it seems trivial. It will improve an eyewitness testimony (EWT) as it may act as a trigger to memory. Another technique is context reinstatement where the witness is asked to mentally place themselves back at the event and imagine what they could see and their emotions. Using context and state dependent cues may help to trigger memories of the event that may appear forgotten but aren’t currently accessible due to retrieval failure. The third technique of the CI is recall in reverse order. The witness is asked to report what happened in a different chronological order, for example from the end of the crime to the start. This will prevent witnesses from reporting a schema rather than what happened, it also prevents dishonesty as it is difficult to lie when reversing a story. The final technique of the CI is recall from a changed perspective; the witness is asked to recall the event from another person’s perspective who witnessed the crime. This will prevent witnesses from reporting a schema rather than what happened.
Discuss the cognitive interview (3 X AO3)
Research to support the effectiveness of the CI in improving the accuracy of EWT was conducted by Kohnken et al. They used a meta-analysis comparing CI and standard interviews. They reported that the CI had an increase of 41% in accurate information compared to the standard interview. Only four studies showed no difference amongst the type of interviews. Therefore supporting the CI in improving the accuracy of EWT because it helps witnesses to recall information that is stored in memory but not easily accessible.
However, a weakness of Kohnken’s research suggests that although more information is remembered compared to the standard interview, often more incorrect items are recalled, with a 61% increase of incorrect information reported in a CI, compared to a standard interview. This is called false positives. This is a weakness when using the CI as despite seeming like more information has been collected, if this is incorrect it could lead to false imprisonments, and wasting police time, leading to damage to the economy. Therefore, reduces the effectiveness of the cognitive interview in improving the accuracy of EWT.
A further weakness of the CI is that not all techniques in the CI are equally as effective. Milne and Bull found that each of the four techniques used alone produced more information than the standard interview. They also found that using a combination of report everything and context reinstatement produced better recall than any of the other elements. This is a weakness because it may mean that the CI is not used effectively, and only certain aspects of CI is useful in producing accurate recall. Therefore, limiting the effectiveness of the CI in improving the accuracy of EWT.
