2.1.18

Cognitive Interview

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Cognitive Interview

The cognitive interview was developed to allow witnesses to access memories in a number of ways to increase the accuracy of recall of a stressful event.

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Cognitive interview (CI)

  • The cognitive interview (CI) is a technique developed by Fisher and Geiselman (1992) and is based on Tulving’s (1974) theory that there are several retrieval paths to each memory.
  • This means memory not available through one pathway may be available through another.
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Stages of CI

  • The original form of the cognitive interview consisted of three components:
    • Change the narrative order - recall the event in different chronological orders. For example, from the end of the event to the beginning or from a half way point to the end.
    • Change of perspective - recalling the event from the perspective of other people present. For example, from the perspective of the perpetrator.
    • Mental reinstatement of the context - recalling not only the environmental context, but also the emotional aspects. For example, the weather on the day of the event and how the person was feeling.
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Implications of CI

  • Interviewees are encouraged to recall all information, no matter how irrelevant or trivial they might think it is or how confident they feel about it.
  • The change of narrative order and the change of perspective components are used to reduce witnesses’ use of prior knowledge expectations as well as the triggering of schema that could encourage the use of stereotyping (so contaminating the memory).

Cognitive Interview - Evidence

The cognitive interview was developed to allow witnesses to access memories in a number of ways to increase the accuracy of recall of a stressful event.

Illustrative background for Cognitive interview (CI)Illustrative background for Cognitive interview (CI) ?? "content

Cognitive interview (CI)

  • The cognitive interview (CI) is a technique developed by Fisher and Geiselman (1992) and is based on Tulving’s (1974) theory that there are several retrieval paths to each memory.
  • This means memory not available through one pathway may be available through another.
Illustrative background for Stages of CIIllustrative background for Stages of CI ?? "content

Stages of CI

  • The original form of the cognitive interview consisted of three components:
    • Change the narrative order - recall the event in different chronological orders. For example, from the end of the event to the beginning or from a half way point to the end.
    • Change of perspective - recalling the event from the perspective of other people present. For example, from the perspective of the perpetrator.
    • Mental reinstatement of the context - recalling not only the environmental context, but also the emotional aspects. For example, the weather on the day of the event and how the person was feeling.
Illustrative background for Implications of CIIllustrative background for Implications of CI ?? "content

Implications of CI

  • Interviewees are encouraged to recall all information, no matter how irrelevant or trivial they might think it is or how confident they feel about it.
  • The change the narrative order and change perspective components are used to reduce witnesses’ use of prior knowledge expectations as well as the triggering of schema that could encourage the use of stereotyping (so contaminating the memory).
Illustrative background for Research findingsIllustrative background for Research findings ?? "content

Research findings

  • Geiselman et al. (1985) found that the CI procedure produced more accurate and detailed memories than the standard police interview, including those conducted under hypnosis, suggesting that the CI can be effective.
  • Geiselman and Fisher (1997) found increased effectiveness of the CI when it was used within a short time following the event as opposed to a longer time delay.
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Meta-analysis

  • Kohnken et al. (1999) carried out a meta-analysis of fifty-five studies comparing the CI to the standard police interview and found:
    • CI resulted in both more accurate detail and more inaccurate detail.
    • No differences in terms of the age of the witness.
    • Recall was enhanced when the witness was personally involved.
    • The amount of correct detail declined the longer after the event the interview was conducted.

Enhanced Cognitive Interview

The cognitive interview was enhanced to make sure that witnesses could lead the flow of the interview. This was to make sure the interviewer got the most accurate recall of events. The enhanced cognitive interview (ECI) has been found to be very effective.

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Key features

  • Features of the ECI include:
    • No distractions or unnecessary interruptions or questions.
    • Flow of information controlled by the witness.
    • The use of open-ended questions, such as, ‘and then what happened?’
    • Witness to speak slowly.
    • Witness reminded not to guess and to reply with ‘don’t know’ when necessary. This reduces the risk of false memories.
    • Interviewer to help reduce the anxiety of the witness.
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Stages of the ECI

  • The interviewer encourages the witness to control the flow of information by asking open-ended questions on a neutral topic.
  • Context reinstatement, followed by witness’s free recall of events.
  • Interviewer stresses the importance of the ‘report everything’ component and of not guessing if the details are unknown.
  • The interviewer moves on to asking about the information using focused memory techniques, such as mental imagery.
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Modification to the ECI

  • Holliday (2003) produced a modified version for use with children. Holliday emphasised the building of trust between the interviewer and the witness, but removed the ‘change perspective’ to concerns that young children would find this too difficult.
  • Shorter version of the CI and ECI are also used because of the time constraints experienced by many police forces who do not have the time to use the full version.
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Research findings

  • Fisher et al. (1989) found that the ECI produced superior results in comparison to the standard police interview.
  • Coker (2013) found that an ECI that placed greater emphasis on the use of focused mental imagery produced more accurate details than standard CI.
  • Holliday (2003) compared the standard police interview with the MCI (designed for use with children) and found that the modified version produced more accurate results with groups of four to five and nine to ten year olds.
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Evaluation of cognitive interview

  • The CI has been highly successful and has led to calls for it to be used beyond the realm of police interviews.
  • But comparison between the standard police interview and the CI is difficult because the police interview techniques tend to vary, with no agreed upon format.
  • Also, the CI is very time consuming and not always appropriate or possible where time constraints are a factor.
  • The CI is not generally effective when witnesses are asked to identify a suspect from a photograph or from an identity parade.

Jump to other topics

1Social Influence

2Memory

3Attachment

4Psychopathology

5Approaches in Psychology

6Biopsychology

7Research Methods

8Issues & Debates in Psychology (A2 only)

9Option 1: Relationships (A2 only)

10Option 1: Gender (A2 only)

11Option 1: Cognition & Development (A2 only)

12Option 2: Schizophrenia (A2 only)

13Option 2: Eating Behaviour (A2 only)

14Option 2: Stress (A2 only)

15Option 3: Aggression (A2 only)

16Option 3: Forensic Psychology (A2 only)

17Option 3: Addiction (A2 only)

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