Psychology - Cognitive interview improving the accuracy of Eye Witness Testimony (EWT)

Psychology - Cognitive interview improving the accuracy of Eye Witness Testimony (EWT)

1. Main Techniques

   • Context Reinstatement
     • Mentally recreate the situation
     • Milne and Bull - Children and students
   • Changed Perspective
     • Recreate from a different point of view
   • Reverse Order
     • Recall scene in a different order than what it happened in
   • Report Everything
     • Even if information seems irrelevant
     • Milne and Bull - Children and Students
     • Mello and Fisher - Elderly

2. Additional Features

   • Minimized distractions
   • Reduced anxiety
   • Getting the witness to speak slowly
   • Ask open-ended questions

3. Fisher et al 1989

   • Aim
     • To assess the performance of police officers in gathering information using the ECI compared to SI
   • Participants
     • Police officers
   • Measures
     • Performance and validity of information
   • Design
     • POs were trained to use CI
     • Field Experiment
   • Findings
     • Police gained 47% more useful information compared to when they used SI techniques
   • Conclusion
     • CI is more effective way of getting accurate information from EWs
   • Strengths
     • Field experiment with high ecological validity
     • Research shows its more effective than SI
       • Kohnken 1999
         • Meta analysis 53 studies
         • 34% improvement when generating information
     • Milne and Bull
       • Interviewed students and children
       • Best components for generating information is 'report everything' and 'context reinstatement'
     • Mello and Fisher 1996
       • Elderly - 'Report everything' was the best component
   • Weaknesses
     • Difficult to evaluate because CI uses a range of procedures
     • Kebbell interviewed police officers and found that CI requires more time
     • Memon 1994
       • Police officers need time for the training
       • This costs money

4. Geiselman et al 1986

   • Aim - Study effect of
     • CI
     • SI
     • HI
   • Conclusion
     • Enhances memory recall
     • Reduces effect of misleading questions
   • Weakness - PPs not matched

5. Geiselman et al 1985

   • Aim - to compare the validity of CIs to SIs
   • Findings - Increase in number of correctly recalled items using CI
   • Conclusion - CIs can lead to more accurate information
   • Design
     • PPs watched 2 films of violent crimes
     • 48 hours later they were interviewed by either CI or SI
   • PPs - 51 Volunteers
   • Measures - accuracy of memory