Interview and Interrogation Exam 2

Open question

a question that calls for a narrative response

Forced silence

a technique used by investigators to encourage a full response to the initial open questions

Time-gap phase

phrases that indicate omissions in the account of an event and help direct the investigator's attention to a portion of an account that requires clarification

Implied-action phase

phrases that require the listener to make assumptions about what probably happened

Clarifying question

open-ended questions that -

- are designed to elicit further information within a section of the account

- seek an explanation for events

- develop information about the subject's feelings or thoughts

Direct question

usually closed questions asked to elicit a specific position or answer from the subject

Tagging

a questioning error that involves the investigator asking a direct question and then continuing to talk, perhaps by suggesting possible responses to the question or clarifying the question

Memory qualifier

words that express uncertainty when a person is recalling past events

Negative question

a question that expects agreement with an implication contained within the question

Follow-up question

a question that is specifically directed at some aspect of the subject's original response, and is instrumental in clarifying a subject's behavior

Evasive response

a response that does not offer a definitive answer to a direct question

Qualified response

a response that contains words or phrases that decrease the level of personal commitment or confidence within the subject's response

Hypothetical follow-up question

a question asked by the investigator to clarify the subject's position when qualifiers are used by subject in a response (is it possible, do you think that perhaps...)

Verbal channel

word choice and arrangement of words to send a message

Paralinguistic channel

characteristics of speech falling outside of the spoken word

Nonverbal channel

posture, arm and leg movements, eye contact, and facial expressions

Attitude

A predisposed expectation toward a situation or event; during an interview with a criminal investigator, it is based on the subject's knowledge of his guilt or innocence with respect to the issue under investigation

Personality

fairly rigid and inflexible traits that are not condition specific

Truthful response

a statement that reflects the truth and, therefore, does not cause any internal activity as a result of deception

Omissive response

a response that may consist of a nonverbal response alone or a verbal answer that accepts physical responsibility for an act but denies criminal intentions

Evasive response

a réponse that implies innocence without stating it

Deceptive response

a response that is associated with the greatest level of internal activity

Lying by referral

a response based on an earlier communication in order to avoid lying

Qualified response

phrase added to a response to weaken it

Generalization statement

One type of qualifying phrase used to response truthfully but deceptively to a question about a particular point in time ( As a rule, Generally...)

Memory qualifier

another type of qualifying phrase that blames a poor memory in order to bend a response in the subject's favor (As far as I recall, At this point in time...)

Omission qualifier

qualifying phrase indicating that the subject is omitting part of his answer within his response (Hardly ever, Not often..)

Estimation phrase

phrase that tells the investigator that the subject is providing an estimation, rather than an exact statement. These may be appropriately heard from truthful or deceptive subjects

Statement against self-interest

statement that decrease anxiety by alerting the investigator to the true intent behind a statement t

Noncontracted denial

a verbal behavior associated with rehearsed responses in which the subject does not use verb contractions when giving answers to questions

Listing

using a response that is offered as a list of possibilities- indicating that the subject has anticipated the question and spent time formulating credible explanations, particularly if it occurs during the initial interview

Response Latency

the length of time between the last word of the interviewer's question and the first word of the subject's response

Clipped words

a behavior symptom indicative of truthfulness where a response is delivered in staccato fashion, emphasizing each word

Stop-and-start behavior

a significant paralinguistic behavior of deception, in which the subject begins a response in one direction but abruptly stops it and starts over again in a different direction

Erasure behavior

paralinguistic behavior that has the effect of "erasing" the implied connotation of the statement

Illustrating

moving the hands away from the body and gesturing

Adaptor behavior

putting the hands in contact with some part of the body

Hand shrug

an illustrator with the specific meaning of "I don't know".

Grooming gestures

adaptor behaviors that involve, in some manner, the subject's appearance

Personal gestures

a gesture, which may involve the hand coming in contact with the body, that reflects the subject's own unique nonverbal manner of relieving anxiety

Protective or supporting gestures

a final category of adaptor behavior involving gestures that bring the hand into contact with the face

Range of normalcy

a "normal range" relative to emotional, mental, cognitive, and physical health

Reticence

being silent or relatively uncommunicative expect for a few brief comments

Impertinence

reactions exhibiting anger and rudeness, insolence