Investigative Interviewing and the Detection of Deception (From Investigative Interviewing: Rights, Research, Regulation, P 229-255, 2006, Tom Williamson, ed. -- See NCJ-214231)

• NCJ Number: 214243
• Author(s): Mark G. Frank; John D. Yarbrough; Paul Ekman
• Date Published: 2006
• Length: 27 pages
• Sale Source: Willan Publishing
• Publication Format: Book Chapter
• Publication Type: Instructional Material
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This chapter describes the concepts, techniques, and training methods used to prepare police officers to become effective interviewers/interrogators as promoted by an organization called "Improving Interpersonal Evaluations for Law Enforcement and National Security" (IIE), with attention to the detection of deception.

Abstract

The interview/interrogation techniques featured in IIE training were developed from observations of the techniques used by officers whose interviews/interrogations have yielded a high percentage of convictions. The observation of these officers' techniques were analyzed and refined in consultation with behavioral scientists who are knowledgeable about human memory, emotion, and expressive verbal and nonverbal behaviors related to deception. The conclusions were that effective police interviewers/interrogators were excellent communicators, listened well, built good rapport with their interviewees, and were skilled at perceiving and interpreting verbal and nonverbal behaviors as clues to deception. Based on these conclusions, IIE developed training packages designed to build individual skills in interview/interrogation, accompanied by the application of these techniques in role-playing interviews. This chapter explains the basic assumptions and processes of the IIE interview, followed by a review of research that has documented how changes and discrepancies in an interviewee's behaviors, statements, and description of events can indicate deception. The research findings are categorized under cognitive clues and emotional clues. The IIE approach recognizes that an oppressive, pressured push toward a confession does not generate the best information or make the strongest cases. It emphasizes the importance of uninterrupted accounts from the interviewee and the careful selection of questions designed to elicit what the interviewee is actually thinking and feeling. The training further emphasizes the importance of testing interpretations of interviews with unimpeachable corroborating evidence. 94 references