CFI Psychological Aspects of Interviewing 5

Question 1

Which psychological attachment style is most likely to cause an adult subject to become hypervigilant and distrustful of the interviewer's intentions, even when rapport-building is being attempted?

Accepted Answer

Fearful-avoidant attachment

Answer

Fearful-avoidant individuals desire connection but simultaneously fear it, resulting in approach-avoidance conflict and distrust of authority figures including interviewers.

Question 2

In assessing statement credibility, 'spontaneous corrections' by a subject (unprompted self-corrections of minor details) are considered:

Accepted Answer

Indicators of genuine recall because liars rarely correct themselves

Answer

Spontaneous corrections are credibility-enhancing indicators because truthful individuals retrieve imperfect memories and naturally amend details, whereas prepared deceptors tend to maintain their scripted version.

Question 3

A subject describes a traumatic event using primarily sensory details (smells, textures, sounds) rather than narrative logic. This is most consistent with:

Accepted Answer

Traumatic memory encoding, which is often sensory and fragmentary

Answer

Traumatic memories are frequently encoded as sensory fragments rather than coherent narratives due to the disruption of hippocampal processing under extreme stress.

Question 4

The concept of 'interviewer bias confirmation' most directly risks producing:

Accepted Answer

A contaminated account shaped by the interviewer's pre-existing theory

Answer

Confirmation bias leads interviewers to selectively attend to, ask about, and reinforce information that supports their initial hypothesis while overlooking contradictory evidence.

Question 5

Learned helplessness in an abuse victim may cause them to:

Accepted Answer

Fail to resist or leave their situation and minimize the abuse when interviewed

Answer

Learned helplessness, developed through repeated uncontrollable negative experiences, causes victims to stop trying to escape or seek help and to minimize or normalize abusive treatment.

(CFI) Certified Forensic Interviewer Practice Test

(CFI) Certified Forensic Interviewer Practice Test

CFI Psychological Aspects of Interviewing 5