cognitive interview Flashcards
(35 cards)
what did typical police interviews involve?
- leading questions
- interruptions
- interviewer dominating interview
- standardised list of questions
- asking questions out of sequence
- if witness did not provide correct details, interviewer did little to assist, meaning they sat passively waiting
- police officer dominated
what was the purpose of the cognitive interview?
maximise accuracy of information obtained during eye witness interviews without compromising accuracy
what memory models explain poor recall during cognitive interview?
- multi store
- working
- reconstructive
- tulving long term
multi store memory model;
what factors may cause an unreliable witness testimony?
- attention isn’t paid to the event it may never encode in the short-term memory
- Can be displaced in STM by other things
- Length between crime and interview may lead to decay
- If not rehearsed may lead to decay in long-term memory
working memory model;
what factors may cause an unreliable witness testimony?
- too many things for the central executive to focus on
- eg too many visuals that displace each other before going to LTM
tulving;
what factors may cause an unreliable witness testimony?
- Not being interviewed at scene of crime may reduce what is remembered due to lack of cues to trigger episodic memories
- Episodic memories are less resilient than semantic and so may be forgotten
reconstructive memory;
what factors may cause an unreliable witness testimony?
Everyone’s schemas are different
What are the 4 main elements of a cognitive interview?
- contextual reinstatement
- report everything
- recall from different perspectives (change the perspective)
- change the order of recall
describe contextual reinstatement
- Witness is asked to form image of the event in their mind and to retell the event
- Asking about objects and smells in the environment
- uses Tulving’s theory of retrieval cues from the environment to prompt the witness into remembering other details
- episodic memories are context dependent so creates context cues
- e.g. asking them to close their eyes and imagine the emotions you felt during the event or draw a floor plan
describe recalling every detail
- encouraged to recall everything about the event even if they think it is unimportant
- unimportant detail may trigger key information that the witness had previously gotten wrong or forgotten
- not interrupted
- prevents simplification and using schemas to create a story
- open ended questions are used
describe recalling in different order
- asked to recall the event from different points
- e.g. from the end to the beginning
- prevents schema driven recall, where people reconstruct events based on expectations
- working backwards or starting from a particular detail previously mentioned
- Geiselman and Callot (1990) found that working backwards was more effective than working from the start twice
- prevents influence of schemas causing them to create a story that makes sense to them
describe recalling from different perspectives
- include the offender or another witness in a different position
- such as a witness, a victim or even the perpetrator
- can help access different memories and reduce schema driven recall
- e.g. imagine you were standing where the shopkeeper was, what would you have seen
- however this could lead to the witnesses making up what they think another person might have seen
3 other elements which are important to consider in a cognitive interview
- open questions
- no leading questions
- focused questions only on things the witness has mentioned to get more detail
How does the enhanced cognitive interview differ from the original?
- includes ways of improving communication between the interviewer and the interviewee
- Avoiding distractions
- gaps between questions
- reduction of anxiety
who developed the cognitive interview?
geiselman
how long does it take to train police on memory?
3-4 hours
describe the introduction stage
- establishes appropriate psychological states and interpersonal dynamics
- promotes efficient memory and communication
- develop rapport between interviewer and witness
- this is because victims may not be trusting due to the traumatic event
describe open ended narration
- free recall
- handing narration over to the interviewee
- witness talks most of the time
describe probing for details
- cognitive reinstatement, reverse order, different perspective
- ask for additional clarification/description
describe the review
interviewer checks details to make sure they understand
describe closing the interview
- EW aware they may be contacted for further information
- end on a positive note in case you need to contact them again
what is the funnel effect?
start with broad questions and then narrow to details
what is the rapport?
establishes a relationship between the interviewer and witness so that there is trust which is key to obtain necessary information
where is a cognitive interview carried out?
private, quiet and controlled environment
