Towards understanding the effects of interviewer training in evaluating the cognitive interview

Abstract

The effectiveness of the cognitive interview (CI) technique has been demonstrated in experimental studies of eyewitness memory conducted in the USA, Germany, and the UK. Much of the research, however, has used college students as interviewers rather than professionals who regularly interview witnesses (e.g. police officers). The aim of this research was to examine the effects of such CI training using experienced police olficers with established interviewing styles. An armed robbery was staged and information was elicited in witness interviews. The CI did not significantly increase correct recall but tended to produce more suppositions and errors. A qualitative analysis of interviewer behaviour showed that many officers had difficulty in applying the new cognitive techniques and in avoiding the use of closed and leading questions. The paper addresses two issues: first, that of training experienced police officers who have received relatively little prior training in investigative interviewing, and second, the extent to which we can generalize from the laboratory data elicited in previous studies of CI.In 1992 all police officers in England and Wales were given a 57-page booklet on investigative interviewing produced by a team of experienced detectives on behalf of the Association of Chief Police Officers and the Home Office (the relevant government ministry). The booklet recommended cognitive interview (CI) techniques and described them. The CI is a procedure for conducting interviews that has emerged from psychological knowledge and research about the organization and access of information from memory. The CI has the potential to be tested and refined for application in several fields. The most notable application of the CI is in police interviews of witnesses (Fisher, Geiselman, and Ama.dor, 1989;George, 1991). This, together with earlier research using college students as interviewers, (Geiselman, Fisher, Mackinnon, and Holland 1985) suggests that following a brief training (ranging from a few hours to two days), it is possible for interviewers to produce substantial We are grateful for the assitance of Roy Pritchard and Mark !:mith (Dorset Police Training School, Headquarters, Winfrith) in the organization and running of the study, and to Muriel Maupoint and Patrick Gwyer for their help with codinglscoring of transcripts. Thanks also to Inspector Richard George and anonymous reviewers for their comments on this paper, and to Orla Cronin for her contribution to the construction of training and evaluation materials.

The role of visual imagery in the enhanced cognitive interview: guided questioning techniques and individual differences

“…This facet of study is of considerable importance for, as noted by McMahon (2000), much of the published research investigating the cognitive interview has reported relatively large standard deviations for recall variables (e.g. Aschermann et al, 1991;Koehnken, Schimossek, Aschermann, & Hoefer, 1995;Mantwill, Koehnken, & Aschermann, 1995;McMahon, 2000;Memon, Holley, Milne, Koehnken, & Bull, 1994;. Therefore, while the cognitive interview does seem to be superior to standard questioning of witnesses, the extent of this efficacy appears to be moderated by some other construct that may differ between witnesses.…”

A Comparison of Adult Witnesses' Suggestibility Across Various Types of Leading Questions

“…Although this research was conducted with children, comparisons across studies show that interviewers predominantly use closed question structures irrespective of the age of the witnesses (e.g. Davies, Westscott, & Horan, 2000;Memon, Holley, Milne, Koehnken, & Bull, 1994). The current findings therefore highlight the importance of investing in further research regarding ways to enhance professionals' ability to identify and avoid misleading questions.…”

New directions in forensic hypnosis: facilitating memory with a focused meditation technique

“…Studies that have compared cognitive interview techniques with hypnosis indicate that performance on them is similar (Geiselman et al, 1985;Kebbell and Wagstaff, 1997). However, unlike hypnosis, the majority of the evidence suggests that, in adults, the cognitive interview does not unduly affect accuracy rates, susceptibility to leading questions, or disrupt confidence accuracy relationships (Geiselman et al, 1985;Geiselman, Fisher, MacKinnon and Holland, 1986;Memon and Bull, 1991;Memon and Kohnken, 1992;Bekerian and Dennett, 1993;Memon, Holley, Milne, Kohnken and Bull, 1994;Geiselman, 1996;. As a consequence, in the UK and USA, the cognitive interview has displaced hypnosis as the preferred mode of memory facilitation in police investigations.…”