CCP Cognitive Interviewing 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which cognitive interview technique asks the witness to mentally revisit the environmental and personal context of the event?
- Temporal reversal
- Mental reinstatement of context (Correct answer)
- Focused retrieval
- Guided imagery protocol
Correct answer: Mental reinstatement of context
Mental reinstatement of context instructs witnesses to mentally return to the physical setting and their internal state at the time of the event.
Question 2: In cognitive interviewing, 'transfer of control' refers to:
- Moving the interview to a neutral location
- Shifting investigative authority to the prosecutor
- Empowering the witness to direct the pace and content of the interview (Correct answer)
- Transferring the case to a senior detective
Correct answer: Empowering the witness to direct the pace and content of the interview
Transfer of control establishes the witness as the primary source of information, reducing interviewer-led questioning.
Question 3: The 'report everything' instruction in cognitive interviewing is designed to:
- Encourage witnesses to speculate beyond their memory
- Reduce the threshold for reporting even partial or seemingly trivial details (Correct answer)
- Replace the need for corroborating physical evidence
- Compel witnesses to identify a suspect
Correct answer: Reduce the threshold for reporting even partial or seemingly trivial details
Witnesses often self-censor minor details; the report-everything instruction overcomes this by validating all information as potentially useful.
Question 4: Which of the following best describes the 'change perspective' technique in cognitive interviewing?
- The interviewer adopts the suspect's viewpoint to challenge the witness
- The witness is asked to describe the event as if seen from another person's vantage point (Correct answer)
- The witness changes seats during the interview to reduce anxiety
- The detective reviews the case from a fresh perspective after the interview
Correct answer: The witness is asked to describe the event as if seen from another person's vantage point
Asking witnesses to describe events from a different spatial perspective can surface details not initially recalled from their own viewpoint.
Question 5: Research on the cognitive interview indicates that it is most effective when applied to:
- Suspects under interrogation
- Cooperative eyewitnesses with genuine memory of the event (Correct answer)
- Anonymous tipsters providing hearsay
- Experts giving professional opinion testimony
Correct answer: Cooperative eyewitnesses with genuine memory of the event
The cognitive interview was designed for cooperative witnesses who experienced the event and are willing to assist investigators.
Question 6: Which mnemonic is commonly used to summarize the four core components of the cognitive interview?
- PEACE
- REID
- MRCR (Correct answer)
- SCAN
Correct answer: MRCR
MRCR stands for Mental reinstatement, Report everything, Change order, and Report from different perspectives.
Question 7: A criminal profiler reviewing a cognitive interview transcript notices the witness was frequently interrupted by the interviewer. This is problematic because:
- Interruptions legally invalidate witness statements
- Interruptions shift control back to the interviewer and may suppress spontaneous recall (Correct answer)
- Witnesses cannot be re-interviewed once interrupted
- Interruptions increase the risk of false confessions
Correct answer: Interruptions shift control back to the interviewer and may suppress spontaneous recall
Interrupting witnesses disrupts their natural retrieval process and undermines the transfer-of-control principle central to cognitive interviewing.
CCP Cognitive Interviewing 2
Which cognitive interview technique asks the witness to mentally revisit the environmental and personal context of the event?