Describe and evaluate cognitive interview as a way of improving the accuracy of EWT
Cognitive interview/ Techniques Techniques Study
1- Report everything- witnesses to include every
A method of improving eyewitnesses to help them single detail of the event (irrelevant as well), these Geiselman examined the effectiveness of C.I on a
retrieve more accurate memories. may trigger other important events. sample of 89 students, where they watched a
stimulated crime video and interviewed 2 days
Fisher and Geiserman argue that EWT could be 2- Reinstate the context- witness should return to later using CI or standard.
improved if the police used better techniques when the event in their mind and imagine the
interviewing witnesses. environment and emotions (weather, feelings).- Students who were interviewed using CI recalled
Context dependent forgetting. more information.
Fisher et al developed additional elemonts of the
cognitive interview to focus on social dynamics of 3- Reverse the order- events should be recalled in Average number of correct items for CI is 41.5
the interaction a different chronological order to the original compared to standard interview of 29.3
sequence. E.g. final to beginning. This prevents
Examples- interviewer needs to know when to reporting their expectations of how events might
have occurred and prevents dishonesty.
establish eye contact, reducing witnesses anxiety,
and distractions, asking open-minded questions and
getting witnesses to speak slowly. 4- Change perspective- witness should recall the
incident from other people’s perspective. E.g. the
perpetrator. This disrupts effects of expectations
and schema on recall (schema- generates
expectations that might be recalled instead).
Time consuming Some elements may be more valuable than others CI increases inaccurate information
A weakness of the CI is that it is time consuming. Milne and Bull found that each individual element was equally The technique of the CI increase the amount of
valuable. correct information remembered but the recall of
The interview takes longer than the standard police incorrect information may also is increased.
interview, for example time for rapport to be For example, each technique used produced more info than the
established with the witness and time for them to standard police interview. M&B found that using a combo of This was shown by kohnkne et al who found an
relax needs to be made. As well as special training report everything and reinstate context produced better recall 81% increase of correct information but also 61%
being required and many forces only provide a few than any other conditions, increase of incorrect information when compared
hours of training. to standard interview.
Therefore, this suggests that at least 2 of these elements should
Therefore it is unlikely that the proper version of CI be used to improve EWT even if the full CI isn’t used. This in Therefore, this shows that CI may not be as
is actually used. turn increased the credibility of CI amongst those who use it. effective as the SI as more incorrect information is
used.
Research support Supporting research
Research suggests that the enhanced CI may offer
special benefits. Support for the role of cognitive comes from the Encoding
Specificity Principle and research carried out by Baddeley.
For example, kohnken et al combined data from 50
studies. The enhanced CI consistently provided This was shown by Baddeley who found that divers were much
more correct information than the SI. better at recalling words when their recall took place in the
same context in which they had learned the information in
Therefore, this indicates that there are practical comparison to recall words in a different context to which
Cognitive interview/ Techniques Techniques Study
1- Report everything- witnesses to include every
A method of improving eyewitnesses to help them single detail of the event (irrelevant as well), these Geiselman examined the effectiveness of C.I on a
retrieve more accurate memories. may trigger other important events. sample of 89 students, where they watched a
stimulated crime video and interviewed 2 days
Fisher and Geiserman argue that EWT could be 2- Reinstate the context- witness should return to later using CI or standard.
improved if the police used better techniques when the event in their mind and imagine the
interviewing witnesses. environment and emotions (weather, feelings).- Students who were interviewed using CI recalled
Context dependent forgetting. more information.
Fisher et al developed additional elemonts of the
cognitive interview to focus on social dynamics of 3- Reverse the order- events should be recalled in Average number of correct items for CI is 41.5
the interaction a different chronological order to the original compared to standard interview of 29.3
sequence. E.g. final to beginning. This prevents
Examples- interviewer needs to know when to reporting their expectations of how events might
have occurred and prevents dishonesty.
establish eye contact, reducing witnesses anxiety,
and distractions, asking open-minded questions and
getting witnesses to speak slowly. 4- Change perspective- witness should recall the
incident from other people’s perspective. E.g. the
perpetrator. This disrupts effects of expectations
and schema on recall (schema- generates
expectations that might be recalled instead).
Time consuming Some elements may be more valuable than others CI increases inaccurate information
A weakness of the CI is that it is time consuming. Milne and Bull found that each individual element was equally The technique of the CI increase the amount of
valuable. correct information remembered but the recall of
The interview takes longer than the standard police incorrect information may also is increased.
interview, for example time for rapport to be For example, each technique used produced more info than the
established with the witness and time for them to standard police interview. M&B found that using a combo of This was shown by kohnkne et al who found an
relax needs to be made. As well as special training report everything and reinstate context produced better recall 81% increase of correct information but also 61%
being required and many forces only provide a few than any other conditions, increase of incorrect information when compared
hours of training. to standard interview.
Therefore, this suggests that at least 2 of these elements should
Therefore it is unlikely that the proper version of CI be used to improve EWT even if the full CI isn’t used. This in Therefore, this shows that CI may not be as
is actually used. turn increased the credibility of CI amongst those who use it. effective as the SI as more incorrect information is
used.
Research support Supporting research
Research suggests that the enhanced CI may offer
special benefits. Support for the role of cognitive comes from the Encoding
Specificity Principle and research carried out by Baddeley.
For example, kohnken et al combined data from 50
studies. The enhanced CI consistently provided This was shown by Baddeley who found that divers were much
more correct information than the SI. better at recalling words when their recall took place in the
same context in which they had learned the information in
Therefore, this indicates that there are practical comparison to recall words in a different context to which
