CFI CFI Cognitive Interview Methods & Memory Enhancement 2

Question 1

The 'encoding specificity principle' relevant to cognitive interviewing states that:

Accepted Answer

Memory is best recalled when retrieval conditions match encoding conditions

Answer

The encoding specificity principle holds that memory retrieval is most effective when the context at retrieval closely matches the context at encoding.

Question 2

In forensic interviewing, 'source monitoring errors' occur when a witness:

Accepted Answer

Confuses the origin of information (e.g., post-event suggestion vs. actual memory)

Answer

Source monitoring errors happen when witnesses misattribute the origin of a memory, such as mistaking something they heard after the event for something they actually witnessed.

Question 3

Which interviewing approach is MOST consistent with minimizing post-event contamination of witness memory?

Accepted Answer

Interviewing witnesses as soon as possible and in isolation from each other

Answer

Early, individual interviews minimize the risk of witnesses contaminating each other's memories or incorporating post-event information into their accounts.

Question 4

A CFI uses the 'rapport-building' phase before memory retrieval primarily because:

Accepted Answer

Rapport reduces anxiety and increases the completeness and accuracy of recall

Answer

Establishing rapport reduces witness anxiety, which in turn improves memory retrieval by allowing the witness to focus cognitive resources on recall rather than social anxiety.

Question 5

What is 'confabulation' in the context of forensic witness interviewing?

Accepted Answer

Unconscious memory fabrication where the witness fills memory gaps with plausible but inaccurate information

Answer

Confabulation is an unconscious process where the brain fills in memory gaps with plausible information without the witness realizing the information is inaccurate.

(CFI) Certified Forensic Interviewer Practice Test

(CFI) Certified Forensic Interviewer Practice Test

CFI CFI Cognitive Interview Methods & Memory Enhancement 2