Detainee and layperson’s expectations and preferences regarding police interview rooms

Abstract

Emerging research on how suspects perceive the physical environment during investigative interviews yields contrasting findings. While previous studies have suggested that a room made to be physically comfortable may be optimal for interviewing suspects, another study found it can instead lead to higher suspicion of the investigator’s intentions. The current study examined current detainees’ and general population participants’ beliefs about a room that resembled a “typical” interview room, and one decorated to be warm, inviting, and comfortable. Participants also provided descriptive information about their perceptions of police interview environments (e.g., preferences, expectations). We hypothesized that the decorated room would elicit higher ratings of suspicion and wariness compared to the “typical” room. Our findings showed that, overall, participants expected to be interviewed in the “typical” room but preferred the decorated one. Contrary to our expectations, they rated the “typical” room higher on feelings of suspicion than the decorated room. The decorated room also corresponded with what participants reported to be an environment that promotes disclosure. These results bode well for conducting investigative interviews in comfortable environments.

A review of effects of visual environmental factors on interpersonal cognition and behavior: Focusing on brightness, color, and depth

“…Regarding the influence process from color, if we focus on the warm/cool color and the color temperature, we find that warm-colored walls and low-color-temperature lighting have a positive, 48,50,55 and conversely, a negative effects. [52][53][54] And positive effects of cold-colored walls and high-colortemperature lighting has been identified, too.…”

“…The influence of the environment on the attitude of being interrogated was verified using a photograph of a room lit by fluorescent lighting imitating an interrogation room in a typical police station, and a photograph of a decorated room lit by incandescent lighting that gave an impression of warmth. 55 With actual inmates-those detained for a certain period after arrest-and general adults as participants, subjects were asked to evaluate whether they could speak freely during the interrogation and whether they could cooperate with the interrogation in the two environments shown in the photographs. Consequently, it was shown that both inmates and general adults were more willing to be interrogated cooperatively in a space that gave a warm impression.…”

Looking guilty: Handcuffing suspects influences judgements of deception

“…Similar effects of situational factors have also been reported in the counselling literature, where alterations to the environment are found to influence how forthcoming clients are towards their therapist (e.g., Chaikin et al, 1976;Okken et al, 2012). Importantly, people seem to have strong a priori expectations and preferences for interview environments, with the latter seemingly being more important for perceptions and outcomes (Hoogesteyn et al, 2020).…”

“…Similar effects of situational factors have also been reported in the counselling literature, where alterations to the environment are found to influence how forthcoming clients are towards their therapist (e.g., Chaikin et al., 1976; Okken et al., 2012). Importantly, people seem to have strong a priori expectations and preferences for interview environments, with the latter seemingly being more important for perceptions and outcomes (Hoogesteyn et al., 2020). While such research focuses more on disclosure rather than deception detection, an overarching finding is that situational factors can be influential despite often being overlooked when judging others (i.e., the fundamental attribution error; Nisbett & Ross, 1991).…”

The New Kälvesten Method for the Assessment of Foster Parent Suitability in Sweden: Causes for Concern

“…However, an absolute prerequisite for doing such an analysis is that the interview was audio-recorded and properly transcribed. It is also crucial that open-ended questions were used to encourage an uninterrupted narrative and promote interviewees' own speaking patterns (Köhnken, Manzanero, & Scott, 2015), that the interviewee was given enough time for recollection and telling (UK College of Policing, 2022), and that the interview was conducted in a relaxed setting without stressful components (Hoogesteyn, Meijer, & Vrij, 2020; UK College of Policing, 2022).…”