cognitive interview extended

Question 1

what is the enhanced cognitive interview?

Answer 1

Fisher el al 1987 developed adition elements to the Cl to focus on the social dynamics of the interaction

•reduce eyewitness anxiety (eg manipulating eyecontact, speak slowly) to keep as calm as possible
• minimise distractions
• ask open-ended questions and allow witness to control direction of converstaion
• interview doesnt interupt witness

Question 2

strength- all elements are valuable

Answer 2

all elements of CI are valuable (including the enhanced interview)
• Milne and Bull found that each individual element was equally valuable and individually produced more information that the standard police interview.
• although a combination of report everything and context reinstatement produced best recall
• suggests that even using one aspect of the CI will improve standard police interviews which increases the credability of CI amongst those who use it

Question 3

strength- effectiveness

Answer 3

•support for the effectiveness of enhanced cognitive interviews
• Geiselman et al 1985 …
• cognitive interview increased the accuracy and detail of recollection compared to standard police interviews.
• this indicates the practicle benifits to police of using the ECI that gives them a higher chance of bringing justice which benifits society as a whole
• has positve economic impacts

Question 4

limitation- can increase inaccurate information

Answer 4

•causes an increase in inaccurate information
• metanalysis Kohnken et al 1999
• 61% increase in incorrect information recalled alongside 81% increase in accurate details when the enhanced CL was compared to the standard police interview
• this have negative real world applications and could lead to faulty convictions suggetsing that the
CI should not be applied to real life

Question 5

limitation- time consuming

Answer 5

makes the police reluctant to use this method of interview as it takes longer than the standard interview. It may also require speciai training that many forces may not be able to provide.

this means thats its unlikley the CI can be used in real-life so therefore has limited real world application

Question 6

evaluation points

Answer 6

•Cl is time consuming
• CI sometimes creates increase in inaccurate information
• all stages are valuable
• supporting evidence for effectiveness