Improving the Accuracy of EWT

Question 1

What is the cognitive interview?

Answer 1

The cognitive interview is a police technique used to improve the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. It consists of four main techniques: report everything, context reinstatement, recall from a changed perspective, and recall in reverse order.

Question 2

What does the ‘report everything’ technique involve?

Answer 2

The ‘report everything’ technique encourages recall of all details, even seemingly irrelevant ones.

Question 3

What is context reinstatement in the cognitive interview?

Answer 3

Context reinstatement involves mentally placing oneself back at the scene to trigger contextual cues.

Question 4

What does ‘recall from a changed perspective’ mean?

Answer 4

This technique asks witnesses to describe the event from another person’s viewpoint, reducing bias.

Question 5

What is the purpose of ‘recall in reverse order’?

Answer 5

This technique asks for events to be recalled backwards, which can help verify truthfulness and disrupt expectations.

Question 6

What is one strength of the cognitive interview?

Answer 6

A strength of the cognitive interview is its effectiveness with older witnesses, encouraging them to share more details and improving the quality of information provided.

Question 7

What is one limitation of the cognitive interview?

Answer 7

A limitation of the cognitive interview as a way of improving the accuracy of eyewitness testimony is that it has received contradictory evidence. E.g. one piece of research found that while the cognitive interview did lead to an 81% increase in correct information, it also led to a 61% increase in incorrect information. This is a limitation because it would be difficult for the police to assess which parts of an eyewitness’ testimony is correct or incorrect and, if they use the incorrect information, it could mislead the police investigation. Therefore questions credibility.

Question 8

How does the cognitive interview affect young children?

Answer 8

The cognitive interview may not be effective for young children, especially those under six, as their recall accuracy decreases when using the CI compared to standard interviews.

Question 9

What is a practical limitation of the cognitive interview?

Answer 9

A practical limitation is that it requires significant time and training for police officers, and improper application may reduce its benefits.