Cognitive Interview & Enhanced Cognitive Interview
What is the cognitive interview?
- The cognitive interview (CI) is a method of interviewing eyewitnesses about what they can recall from a crime scene or event
- It was developed as a way of improving EWT in order to enhance recall and thus lead to more accurate conviction of the perpetrator
What techniques does the cognitive interview use?
Recall everything
- Witnesses are asked to recall as much detail as they can, however trivial it might seem
- A seemingly unimportant detail may trigger a useful memory
Recall the events in reverse order
- Witnesses are asked to recall the event using different chronologies i.e. start at the end; start from the middle etc.
- Changing the order means witnesses cannot rely on schemas or prior knowledge to influence them
Reinstate the context
- The witness has to think about what was happening at the time of the event: Was it raining? What had they been doing?
- This is context-dependent recall which (see the section on retrieval failure) may enhance the accuracy of the memory
Change the perspective
- The witness is asked to view the event from someone else’s viewpoint e.g. the perpetrator, another witness
- Changing the perspective should ensure that schemas are not activated so that preconceived ideas do not influence the memory e.g. I was in a restaurant and this is what usually happens in a restaurant
Research support for the cognitive interview
- Fisher (1999) - the CI was found to produce 46% more detail and was 90% accurate than standard police interviews
- Milne and Bull (2002) - found that 'report everything' and 'reinstate the context' are better at producing recall than the other two elements of the CI
Evaluation of this research
- Fisher (1999) - the CI requires specially trained officers to conduct it which makes it expensive plus it is more time-consuming than traditional methods
- Milne and Bull (2002) - these findings could be used to improve the CI even further which could help to shorten the process
Exam Tip
A longer-length question on the CI (e.g. for 16 marks) will require you to engage in discussion, not just by evaluating research but by considering the CI's relative merit and value plus wider issues relating to the CI. You might consider discussing the CI as part of the' implications for the economy' element of the AQA spec. If the CI is effective then it could aid the economy by correctly identifying perpetrators which should lead to fewer lengthy court cases (if a perpetrator pleads guilty then a court case is avoided - people who did not commit a crime are unlikely to plead guilty). However, as the CI is costly both in terms of money and time then it makes less economic sense for it to be used for every eyewitness interview.
