Improving accuracy of EWT - The cognitive interview Flashcards
(7 cards)
AO1: Intro - Cognitive interview
Developed by Fisher and Geiselman, the cognitive interview is a technique used by police to interview witnesses after they have seen a crime or accident to help facilitate the most accurate and detailed memory possible. Lots of ‘open’ questions are asked where the witness is not interrupted and free to expand on their own answers.
AO1: Cognitive interview
Recall everything is where witnesses report all details even if its seems irrelevant as the recall may trigger for more information. “Start from the beginning, tell me what happened at the morning of the memory”.
Context reinstatement is where the witness is asked to mentally place themselves back at the scene of the event and imagine the environment, such as the weather and what they could see, and their emotions. This may trigger memories that appear forgotten but aren’t accessible due to retrieval failure. ‘What was the weather like..’
Recall in reverse order is where the witness is asked to report what happened in a different chronological order. This prevents witnesses reporting what they expected to happen (schema) rather than what happened. It also prevents dishonesty, as it is harder to lie when having to reverse a story. “Tell us what happened from when you entered the bank”.
Recall from changed a perspective is where the witness is asked to recall the incident from another person’s perspective who witnessed the crime e.g. the perpetrator. It may prevent witnesses reporting what they expected to happen (schema) rather than what happened. “Imagine you’re the bank robber… what do you see”
AO3: Cognitive interview (4)
3 - Think further
1) Kohnken et al - compered to standard
2) False positives
3) Think further Economy
4) Milne and Bull - Combinations
AO3: RTS
Research to support the effectiveness of the cognitive interview in improving the accuracy of EWT was conducted by Köhnken et al. They used a meta-analysis of 50 studies comparing cognitive interviews and standard interviews. They reported that CI had an increase of 41% in correct information compared to the standard interview. This supports that the cognitive interview is an effective technique in improving the accuracy of EWT because it helps witnesses to recall information that is stored in memory but not easily accessible. Therefore, increasing the validity of the cognitive interview as a way of improving the accuracy of EWT.
AO3: False positives
Köhnken et al also suggests that although more information is remembered compared to the standard interview, often more incorrect items are also recalled, with a 61% increase of incorrect information reported in a cognitive interview, 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. This reduces the effectiveness of the cognitive interview in improving the accuracy of EWT.
AO3: Think further economy
This could in turn have a negative effect on the economy as if witness statements are not accurate, this could lead to more interviews being needed or potentially false imprisonments, which will waste prison space and police time. The taxpayer’s money needed for this could be spent elsewhere to benefit society, reducing the credibility that the cognitive interview may have in society, to improve the accuracy of EWT.
AO3: Combinations
A further weakness of the cognitive interview is that not all techniques in the cognitive interview are equally as effective. Milne and Bull found that each of the four techniques used alone produced more information than the standard interview. But 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. Thus, limiting the effectiveness of the CI in improving the accuracy of EWT.
