Cognitive Interviewing Flashcards
7 cards from real CCP practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Cognitive Interviewing flashcards as text
Which of the following interview settings is most consistent with cognitive interview best practices?
Answer: A quiet, private room free from distractions
A quiet, private environment minimizes cognitive load from external distractions, allowing the witness to focus fully on memory retrieval.
The open-ended prompt 'Tell me everything you remember about what happened' is preferred in cognitive interviewing because it:
Answer: Avoids cueing specific details and allows free narrative recall
Open-ended prompts maximize free recall without contaminating memory by introducing interviewer-supplied details.
In cognitive interviewing, why is it important to pause after the witness completes a narrative segment before asking follow-up questions?
Answer: To allow the witness continued retrieval without interruption, as additional details often surface during silence
Witnesses frequently continue to retrieve additional information during brief silences; premature questioning interrupts this process.
A profiler notes that during a cognitive interview the witness was asked, 'You said the car was red — was it a dark red or a bright red?' This question is best classified as:
Answer: A leading suggestive question
The question presupposes a red car (which may be accurate) but then forces a false dichotomy that can distort the witness's actual memory.
Which theoretical framework most directly supports the use of mental context reinstatement in cognitive interviewing?
Answer: Tulving's encoding specificity principle
Encoding specificity holds that memory retrieval is most effective when the conditions at retrieval match those present during encoding.
When a cognitive interview reveals inconsistencies between two accounts given by the same witness, the profiler should first:
Answer: Explore the inconsistency through non-accusatory clarifying questions before drawing conclusions
Memory is reconstructive; inconsistencies may reflect genuine retrieval variability rather than intentional deception.
Which of the following is a documented limitation of the cognitive interview?
Answer: It can increase the number of incorrect details alongside correct ones if not properly administered
While CI increases correct recall, some research shows it may also slightly increase incorrect recall, making proper administration and error-monitoring critical.