NCJ Number
131975
Journal
FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin Volume: 60 Issue: 3 Dated: (March 1991) Pages: 8-12
Date Published
1991
Length
5 pages
Annotation
The cognitive interview is more useful than the usual methods of interviewing crime victims, because it provides interviewers with a structured approach to help witnesses remember specific details about the offender's appearance.
Abstract
Cognitive interviewing is also superior to hypnosis, because courts have ruled that hypnosis lacks scientific acceptance as a means of refreshing recall. Fisher and Geiselman developed the cognitive interview which aids memory retrieval by reinstating the context of the event, recalling the event in a different sequence, and looking at the event from different perspectives. Thus, the interviewer tries to reestablish the environment, mood, setting, and experiences by asking witnesses to relive mentally the events before, during, and after the crime. The interviewer also asks the witness to describe the crime in reverse order or other modified sequence and to consider the view of another witness, victim, or an invisible eye on the wall. Additional techniques are also available, depending on the facts of the crime and witness information. 6 reference notes