CFA Cognitive Interview & Admissions 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which cognitive interview technique asks the subject to mentally reinstate the environmental and personal context of an event before recalling it?
- Mental reinstatement of context (Correct answer)
- Change of perspective
- Reverse order recall
- Focused retrieval cuing
Correct answer: Mental reinstatement of context
Mental reinstatement of context is a core CI technique where the subject mentally recreates the physical and psychological setting of the event to enhance memory retrieval.
Question 2: A fraud examiner conducting an admission-seeking interview should place the subject in which seating arrangement relative to the interviewer?
- Directly across a desk to establish authority
- At a 45-degree angle to reduce confrontational tension (Correct answer)
- Side by side to project teamwork
- Behind a barrier to prevent escape
Correct answer: At a 45-degree angle to reduce confrontational tension
A 45-degree seating angle reduces the confrontational face-to-face dynamic and encourages a more open conversational flow during admission-seeking interviews.
Question 3: In the Reid Technique's Behavior Analysis Interview (BAI), which response to the question 'Do you know who stole the money?' is most consistent with deception?
- 'No, I have no idea who did it.'
- 'Why would I steal from my own company?' (Correct answer)
- 'That's a really serious accusation.'
- 'I was on vacation that week.'
Correct answer: 'Why would I steal from my own company?'
Answering a direct question with a counter-question ('Why would I?') is a classic deflection behavior associated with deceptive subjects avoiding a direct denial.
Question 4: The PEACE model of interviewing, developed in the UK, differs from the Reid Technique primarily because PEACE:
- Uses minimization and maximization themes
- Is accusatory from the outset
- Is non-coercive and information-gathering focused (Correct answer)
- Requires a polygraph baseline
Correct answer: Is non-coercive and information-gathering focused
PEACE (Preparation, Engage, Account, Closure, Evaluate) is a non-accusatory, information-gathering model that avoids the psychological pressure tactics used in Reid.
Question 5: During a cognitive interview, the instruction to 'report everything' is intended to:
- Encourage fabrication to fill memory gaps
- Prevent the witness from filtering out seemingly trivial details (Correct answer)
- Limit the interview to only relevant financial data
- Establish a baseline of truthful behavior
Correct answer: Prevent the witness from filtering out seemingly trivial details
'Report everything' instructs subjects not to self-censor minor details, since peripheral information can trigger additional memories or corroborate other evidence.
Question 6: Which type of question should a fraud examiner avoid during the information-gathering phase of a cognitive interview?
- Open-ended questions
- Leading questions (Correct answer)
- Clarifying follow-up questions
- Chronological recall prompts
Correct answer: Leading questions
Leading questions suggest a desired answer and can contaminate a subject's memory or testimony, undermining the integrity of the cognitive interview.
Question 7: An admission in a fraud investigation is most legally useful when it is:
- Obtained before Miranda rights are given
- Spontaneous and unwitnessed
- Voluntary, corroborated, and documented contemporaneously (Correct answer)
- Made in a formal interrogation room
Correct answer: Voluntary, corroborated, and documented contemporaneously
Admissions carry the most evidentiary weight when they are freely given, supported by independent evidence, and recorded immediately after they occur.
CFA Cognitive Interview & Admissions 2
Which cognitive interview technique asks the subject to mentally reinstate the environmental and personal context of an event before recalling it?