Interviewing children with the cognitive interview: Assessing the reliability of statements based on observed and imagined events

Abstract

This paper investigated whether criteria stemming from the Reality Monitoring (RM) framework could be trusted to assess the reliability of statements obtained by the use of a cognitive interview (CI). Fifty-eight children, aged 10-11, participated. One-third watched a film about a fakir and were then interviewed according to a CI (n= 19). The remaining two-thirds made up a story about a fakir and were then interviewed according to either a CI (n= 21), or a structured interview (SI) (n= 18). The CI statements based on observed events contained more visual, affective, spatial and temporal information compared to CI statements based on imagined events. The CI statements based on imagined events did not differ from the SI statements based on imagined events. Considerable developmental work is recommended to turn the RM technique to a reliable test that could be used by practitioners.

The cognitive interview: Is its benefit affected by the level of witness emotion?

“…This suggests that the CI generates more information than a standard or a structured interview, and this increased amount of detail is no less accurate than the information obtained in a standard or a structured interview. CI studies have used diverse populations: adults (Ascherman, Mantwill, & Kö hnken, 1991;Brock, Fisher, & Cutler, 1999;Campos & Alonso-Quecuty, 1998;Geiselman et al, 1984;Memon, Wark, Holley, Bull, & Kö hnken, 1997), children (Akehurst, Milne, & Kö hnken, 2003;Geiselman & Padilla, 1988;Holliday & Albon, 2004;Larsson & Granhag, 2005), populations with learning disabilities (Brown & Geiselman, 1990;Milne, Clare, & Bull, 1999), and the elderly (McMahon, 2000;Mello & Fisher, 1996). In all cases, a beneficial effect of the CI was observed.…”

Distinguishing truthful from invented accounts using reality monitoring criteria

“…In this method, the phenomenal characteristics associated with the witness' memory report are extracted from the content of the report by independent trained evaluators or judges rather than being explicitly provided (rated) by the witness. Several studies have tested the diagnostic capacity of RM criteria derived in this manner in distinguishing accounts based on memory from those based on imagination (e.g., Barnier, Sharman, McKay, & Sporer, 2005; Hernandez‐Fernaud & Alonso‐Quecuty, 1997; Larsson & Granhag, 2005; see Masip, Sporer, Garrido, & Herrero, 2005; Roberts, Lamb, Zale, & Randall, 1998; Santtila, Roppola, & Niemi, 1999; Sporer, 1997; Strömwall, Bengtsson, Leander, & Granhag, 2004). The RM approach has been operationalized and studied in different laboratories each with overlapping criteria but with differences in their approach.…”

Comparative analysis of true or false statements with the source monitoring model and the cognitive interview: special features of the false accusation of innocent people

“…However, internal information did not contribute to this differentiation. In a similar study involving 10-and 11-year-old participants (Larsson & Granhag, 2005) the results showed that spatial, affective and temporal information criteria gets distinguish between statements about real facts and imagined facts both obtained with the CI.…”