Memory: Improving EWT

Question 1

what’s cognitive interview?

Answer 1

a method of interviewing eyewitnesses to help them retrieve more accurate memories. it uses 4 main techniques all based on well-established psychological knowledge of memory. made by Fisher + Geiselman.

Question 2

what are the 4 parts of cognitive interview?

Answer 2

report everything = include every single detail no matter how irrelevant. triggers additional information. reinstate context = imagine the environment - weather, mood. trigger recall. reverse order = recall in a different chronological order, prevents expectations of what happened. can disrupt the influence of schemas. change perspective = recall incident from other POVs. can disrupt the influence of schemas

Question 3

what’s the enhanced cognitive interview?

Answer 3

Fisher added elements to cognitive interview to focus on the social dynamic of the interaction. the interviewer needs to know when to establish eye contact for example. it includes ideas to reduce anxiety and minimise distractions.

Question 4

how are cognitive interviews time-consuming? (A03)

Answer 4

it takes more time than a standard police interview - to allow witnesses to relax. it requires special training which many forces can’t provide. this means it’s unlikely a proper version will be used.

Question 5

what’s evidence that some elements are more valuable than others? (A03)

Answer 5

Milne + Bull found that a combination of report everything and reinstate context produced better recall than any other condition. this conforms suspicions that some aspects are more useful than others. it suggests that even if the police can’t use the full CI they can still use parts.

Question 6

what’s research support for the effectiveness of cognitive interviews?

Answer 6

Kohnken did a meta-analysis combining data from 50 studies. the enhanced CI provided correct information more than the standard interviews. it indicates there are practical benefits to using the enhanced version