Interview Techniques & Strategies Flashcards
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Read the first 7 Interview Techniques & Strategies flashcards as text
When a subject invokes their right to counsel during a custodial interview, the legally correct action is:
Answer: Immediately cease all questioning until counsel is present
Under Edwards v. Arizona, once a subject unambiguously invokes the right to counsel, all questioning must cease until counsel is present.
What is the 'theme development' technique in interview and interrogation contexts?
Answer: Offering moral justifications or minimizations to make admission seem more acceptable to the subject
Theme development presents moral justifications that reduce the psychological barrier to confession by making the subject's behavior seem understandable.
A subject consistently touches their face and adjusts their clothing when asked about a specific event. The forensic interviewer should:
Answer: Note the behaviors as potential stress indicators and probe further with open-ended questions
Stress behaviors like self-grooming may indicate anxiety but cannot independently confirm deception; they warrant follow-up probing.
Which interviewing framework is specifically designed around trauma-informed principles for interviewing victims?
Answer: NICHD Protocol (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development)
The NICHD Protocol is an evidence-based, trauma-informed framework specifically developed for interviewing child victims of abuse.
What is the main distinguishing feature between an 'interview' and an 'interrogation' in forensic practice?
Answer: Interviews are information-gathering with an open mind, while interrogations involve presumed guilt and seek admission
An interview is an investigative conversation to gather information, while an interrogation presumes culpability and aims to elicit an admission or confession.
During an interview, using the phrase 'Tell me everything about...' is an example of which type of prompting?
Answer: Open-ended invitational prompt
Invitational prompts encourage free narrative without suggesting specific content, maximizing the quality and quantity of spontaneous disclosure.
What is the significance of 'corroborative detail' in assessing the credibility of a forensic interview account?
Answer: Specific, verifiable details that align with known evidence increase the credibility of an account
Corroborative details that match independently known facts lend credibility to an account because they are difficult to fabricate accurately.