Forensic Psychology For Dummies (34 page)

The
cognitive interview
has been developed to enhance both of these aspects of interviewing by suggesting that you try:

Establishing rapport.

Listening actively.

Encouraging spontaneous recall.

Asking open-ended questions.

Pausing after responses.

Avoiding interrupting.

Asking for detailed descriptions.

Encouraging the person to concentrate on the question.

Encouraging the use of imagery.

Recreating the original context of the event.

Adopting the witness’s perspective.

Asking relevant questions.

Encouraging multiple retrieval attempts.

Cognitive interviewing stresses the importance of making full use of different mental processes. Therefore you need training and preparation before carrying out a cognitive interview. This type of interview is also time-consuming and sometimes difficult to put into practice. For these reasons, cognitive interviewing is being used more in research studies than in real-life police investigations.