OCR Psuchology - Collection of evidence from witnesses

What can distort witness’ memories?

Leading questions (Loftus and Palmer)

What are the 4 components of the Cognitive Interview?

Context reinstatement, report everything, change order + change perspective

What research method did Fischer et al. use?

Field experiment - detectives interviewed real witnesses from the Robbery division in Florida

What was the sample in Fischer et al.’s study?

16 detectives with a minimum of 5 years experience

How was Fischer et al.’s study standardised?

7 detectives trained in 4 sixty minute sessions for the cognitive interview, all interviews were recorded (7 months 2nd phase) + analysed by team at university California (blind to conditions)

What were the results of Fischer et al.’s study?

Detectives who used cognitive interview obtained 47% more information after training + 63% more than the untrained detectives

What is a conclusion of Fischer et al.’s study?

Cognitive interview is effective in the field

What research method did Memon and Higham use?

A review

What is a review?

A piece of writing that looks at research + comments on its findings

What was the focus of Memon and Higham’s review?

The effectiveness of the cognitive interview

How effective is context reinstatement?

Some research suggests it’s as effective as the rest of the cognitive interview on its own, however there is conflicting evidence for this

How effective is reporting everything?

When used alone it can avoid leading questions however it can lead to witnesses filling in the gaps in their minds

How effective is changing order?

One piece of research suggests it’s more effective if the witnesses recall on forward order 1x, then reverse order (instead of recalling event from beginning 2x) more research needs to be done

How effective is changing perspective?

Research suggests it could lead to fabricated details + witness confusion, no research suggests it increases the amount of information recalled

How effective is the cognitive interview on children?

All components are equally effective

What is the most effective component of the cognitive interview on adults?

Context reinstatement

What is a conclusion of Memon and Higham’s review of the cognitive interview?

More experimental research is needed + all components should be tested in different combinations

What are the other types of interviews?

Standard interview, guided memory interview + structured interview

What did Memon and Higham conclude after comparing the cognitive interview with other types of interview?

The cognitive interview collects more evidence than the standard interview but they should not be compared in a experiment setting

How much training is needed in the cognitive interview?

4 hours is not enough, minimum two-day programme taught by senior officers

What lowers the validity of Memon and Higham’s review?

Some research used fake events, not the same emotional context as a real crime + other research used children

What is the PEACE model?

A strategy for police interviews to reduce false confessions

What does PEACE stand for?

Planning, engaging, account, closure + evaluation

What is are strengths of the PEACE model?

Ethical method to collect evidence + less likely to lead to false confessions

Why would the PEACE model work?

It assumes liars will gradually build up a sense of false expectations that will break down due to inconsistencies

What is another strategy for police interviews?

Context reinstatement

Why would context reinstatement work?

Evidence from grant et al.