CFI Statement Analysis & Verbal Behavior 3

Question 1

A suspect's statement about an assault contains 600 words about events before the incident, 80 words about the assault itself, and 500 words about events afterward. This distribution is MOST consistent with:

Accepted Answer

Possible minimization or avoidance of the critical event

Answer

An unusually brief account of the critical event compared to surrounding content (expected proportion ~50% of statement) may indicate the subject is avoiding commitment to verifiable details about the core incident.

Question 2

A subject is asked 'Did you take the money?' and responds, 'I am an honest person who has worked here for fifteen years.' According to statement analysis, this response is BEST characterized as:

Accepted Answer

An evasive non-denial that addresses character rather than the specific act

Answer

Responding to a direct accusation by speaking to character rather than directly denying the specific act is an evasive non-denial, as it avoids committing to an answer about the alleged conduct.

Question 3

An analyst reviewing a statement notes the subject uses past tense throughout the account except when describing one specific segment where they shift to present tense. This tense change MOST likely indicates:

Accepted Answer

Possible heightened emotional engagement or psychological significance in that segment

Answer

Tense shifts—especially moving from past to present tense mid-narrative—can indicate areas of heightened psychological engagement, strong emotion, or possibly rehearsed content that the subject re-experiences rather than recalls.

Question 4

A subject states: 'I may have accidentally bumped into her, but I would never intentionally harm anyone.' Which component of this statement warrants the most analytical attention?

Accepted Answer

The qualifier 'intentionally' implicitly leaves open the possibility of unintentional harm

Answer

The qualifier 'intentionally' narrows the denial to purposeful harm only, implicitly acknowledging that unintentional harm may have occurred—a significant hedge that an innocent person would rarely include.

Question 5

A subject's statement contains multiple unprompted character references such as 'I'm a very caring person' and 'I've always been honest in everything I do.' In statement analysis, this pattern is MOST consistent with:

Accepted Answer

A possible attempt to compensate for a lack of factual event details

Answer

Truthful subjects typically focus statements on recounting events; excessive self-characterization may indicate a subject is compensating for an inability or unwillingness to provide verifiable factual details.

(CFI) Certified Forensic Interviewer Practice Test

(CFI) Certified Forensic Interviewer Practice Test

CFI Statement Analysis & Verbal Behavior 3