CFI Cognitive Interview Methods & Memory Enhancement Flashcards
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Read the first 6 CFI Cognitive Interview Methods & Memory Enhancement flashcards as text
What is the primary goal of the cognitive interview technique developed by Fisher and Geiselman?
Answer: To enhance accurate memory retrieval through mental reinstatement and open-ended recall
The cognitive interview uses mental context reinstatement, report everything, change perspective, and change order to maximize accurate eyewitness memory retrieval.
Which cognitive interview component asks the witness to mentally return to the scene and recall all sensory details present at the time?
Answer: Mental context reinstatement
Mental context reinstatement instructs the witness to mentally revisit the physical and emotional environment of the event to trigger associated memories.
The 'report everything' instruction in the cognitive interview is designed to:
Answer: Overcome the tendency to omit information perceived as unimportant
Witnesses often self-censor details they think are unimportant, so 'report everything' ensures no potentially valuable information is omitted.
When using the 'change temporal order' technique in a cognitive interview, the interviewer asks the witness to:
Answer: Describe events in reverse or non-chronological sequence to access different memory traces
Recalling events in a different temporal order (e.g., backward) can help retrieve additional details that standard forward recall misses.
Which factor most significantly degrades eyewitness memory accuracy according to cognitive interview research?
Answer: Stress and emotional arousal during the event
High stress and arousal can impair encoding of peripheral details while sometimes narrowing focus to central threat-related stimuli, affecting overall accuracy.
The 'change perspective' component of the cognitive interview should be accompanied by what important clarification to the witness?
Answer: That they should only report what they actually perceived, not guess
Interviewers must clarify that witnesses should not speculate or guess when adopting another's perspective, only report what they truly perceived from that vantage point.