Improving EWT - cognitive interviews

Question 1

What did Fisher and Geilsman (1992) argue?

Answer 1

Argued that EWT could be improved if the police used better techniques when interviewing witnesses

Question 2

Give the definition of CI

Answer 2

A method of interviewing eyewitnesses to help them retrieve more accurate memories

Question 3

CI uses four main techniques. Name them

Answer 3

1. Report everything - remember information associated with all your senses. Witnesses are encouraged to recall every single detail, no matter how insignificant
2. Reinstatement of context - revisit the scene in the mind or physically. Witnesses are encouraged to return to the context and picture the environment
3. Change/ reverse order - recall the scene in a different chronological order. Think about what happened last and work backwards. Witnesses must do this to prevent expectation of what happened influencing their recall
4. Change perspective - try to recall the sequence of events from another person’s point of view. What do you think your friends had seen? Witnesses are encouraged to do this to prevent expectation or ‘schema’ of events

Question 4

What is ECI?

Answer 4

The ‘Enhanced Cognitive Interview’
Fisher et al. developed additional elements of the CI - these focused more on the social dynamics of the interactions

Question 5

Describe some features of the ECI

Answer 5

• When the interviewer needs to establish eye contact and when to relinquish it
• Reducing eyewitness anxiety
• Minimising distractions
• Getting witnesses to speak slowly and concisely
• Ask open-ended questions (not yes or no answers)

Question 6

Give 2 strengths of improving EWT

Answer 6

1. Effectiveness of the ECI - Kohnken et al. (1999) did a meta-analysis from 55 studies comparing the CI and ECI with the standard police interview. The CI gave an average 41% increase in accurate information compared to the standard interview. Only 4 studies out of the 55 showed no difference between the two types of interview. This shows that CI is an effective technique in helping witnesses to recall information that is stored in memory but not easily accessible
2. Full CI are useful - Milne and Bull (2002) found that each individual element of the CI was equally valuable

Question 7

Give 2 limitations of improving EWT

Answer 7

1. Full CI are useful - Milne and Bull (2002) found that each individual element of the CI was equally valuable. However, they found that a combination of report everything and reinstate the context produced better recall than any of the other elements. This confirms police officers suspicions that some aspects of the CI are more useful than others. This casts doubt on the credibility of the overall cognitive interview
2. Time consuming - Police officers may be reluctant to use CI as it’s time consuming and extra training is needed. More time is needed to build rapport with the witnesses and allow them to relax. This suggests that the complete CI is not a realistic method for police officers to use and it might be better just to focus on a few key elements. Police forces have instead taken on a ‘pick and mix’ approach - making it more flexible and allowing individual officers to use techniques they find work for them