Eye Witness Testimony (OCR A-Level Psychology): Revision Notes
2.4.3 Cognitive Interview
Improving the accuracy of eyewitness testimony
The cognitive interview
The cognitive interview: A method of interviewing eyewitnesses which aims to improve the accuracy of their memory of a crime.
Stages:
Step 1: Report everything
This is because, even details that seem unimportant, may be useful or trigger the recall of larger events, by acting as a "cue"
Step 2: Reinstate the context
Mentally return to the incident. Think about the location, maybe the weather, or sounds. This reminds eyewitnesses of external cues at the time, helping to prevent context-dependent forgetting
Step 3: Change the perspective
Recall the events from someone else's point of view, e.g. the victims' point of view. This prevents the eyewitness from being affected by their own schemas related to their opinions of how the crime occurred.
Recall events in reverse order
Recalling the events in the opposite order helps to reduce the chance of false reporting or eyewitnesses lying.
Evaluation:
P: Time-consuming and much longer than a standard police interview
E: For example, police officers need specialised training to be able to deliver an effective cognitive interview, as they also need to be able to develop a rapport with the person they're interviewing and build enough trust for them to relax and open up about potentially serious crimes, that may be difficult to talk about
E: This training can be expensive and time-consuming, therefore perhaps the cognitive interview isn't the most practical, cost-effective option for police forces
P: There is supporting evidence
E: For instance, Fisher et al found that witnesses reported greater detail in their accounts of crimes, when detectives used the cognitive interview, compared to the standard interview.
E: This may be because the technique is more structured and therefore may be more appropriate for crime-related interviews as it is thorough, enabling detectives to gather the level of detail required,
E: This supports the idea that the cognitive interview is more useful than the standard interview, making it a beneficial method to use