Date of Award

2012

Publication Type

Master Thesis

Degree Name

M.A.

Department

Psychology

Keywords

eyewitness consistency, investigative interviewing, negative feedback, repeated questioning, the Cognitive Interview (CI)

Supervisor

Alan Scoboria

Rights

info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Abstract

The Cognitive Interview (CI), an interview technique used with cooperative eyewitnesses of crime, has been shown to lead to the receipt of more correct information than control interviews, with stable errors and accuracy. The present study was conducted to determine if the CI conveys benefits protecting against the effects of problematic interview techniques such as repeated questioning and/or negative feedback. Undergraduates (n = 98) watched one of two crime videos and were interviewed with either a CI or a Free Recall. One week later, a second interviewer asked a set of questions. Half of the participants received negative feedback about their performance in questioning and all participants were then questioned a second time. Findings indicated that the CI was protective against inconsistencies due to repeated questioning but only in the absence of negative feedback. Relevance of the findings to investigative interviewing is discussed.

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