CFS Witness Interviewing Techniques 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which psychological concept explains why a witness might change their account when they learn that others have given different statements?
- Confirmation bias
- Social conformity pressure (Correct answer)
- Anchoring effect
- Dunning-Kruger effect
Correct answer: Social conformity pressure
Social conformity pressure can cause witnesses to alter their accounts to align with what they believe others have said.
Question 2: During an interview, a subject provides an alibi that seems rehearsed and overly detailed for minor events but vague about key moments. This pattern is MOST consistent with:
- An honest witness with excellent memory
- A deceptive account with scripted elements (Correct answer)
- Normal memory reconstruction processes
- A witness suffering from interview anxiety
Correct answer: A deceptive account with scripted elements
Deceptive accounts often feature rehearsed precision on irrelevant details but vagueness around the actual fraudulent events.
Question 3: What is 'strategic use of evidence' (SUE) in the context of investigative interviewing?
- Presenting all evidence at the start to overwhelm the subject
- Withholding evidence and revealing it strategically to maximize diagnostic value (Correct answer)
- Destroying irrelevant evidence before the interview
- Using forged evidence to test witness reactions
Correct answer: Withholding evidence and revealing it strategically to maximize diagnostic value
SUE involves withholding known evidence and revealing it at strategic points to assess whether the subject's account is consistent with it.
Question 4: When interviewing a victim of payroll fraud, what is the MOST important initial step?
- Immediately ask about specific dollar amounts lost
- Establish the witness's credibility before proceeding
- Allow the witness to provide a free narrative account first (Correct answer)
- Confront the witness with documentary evidence of the fraud
Correct answer: Allow the witness to provide a free narrative account first
Allowing a free narrative account first captures the witness's uncontaminated recollection before focused questioning.
Question 5: Which of the following behaviors during an interview is a reliable physiological indicator of deception?
- Increased blinking rate
- Elevated skin temperature visible to the interviewer
- No single physiological indicator is a reliable standalone deception cue (Correct answer)
- Pupil dilation observable in normal lighting
Correct answer: No single physiological indicator is a reliable standalone deception cue
Research consistently shows that no single physiological or behavioral cue reliably indicates deception; clusters of behaviors must be assessed.
Question 6: A CFS examiner interviews a witness who invokes their Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination. What should the examiner do?
- Continue questioning on unrelated topics after noting the invocation
- Immediately end the interview entirely
- Threaten the witness with obstruction charges
- Inform the witness they are not required to answer and respect the right (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Inform the witness they are not required to answer and respect the right
Investigators must respect Fifth Amendment invocations; continuing to press after invocation can render subsequent statements inadmissible.
Question 7: What is the 'funnel technique' in witness interviewing?
- Starting with broad open-ended questions and progressively narrowing to specific topics (Correct answer)
- Beginning with specific accusations before establishing rapport
- Using multiple interviewers to question one witness simultaneously
- Recording the interview without the witness's knowledge
Correct answer: Starting with broad open-ended questions and progressively narrowing to specific topics
The funnel technique moves from broad open questions to progressively specific probes to gather comprehensive information efficiently.
CFS Witness Interviewing Techniques 3
Which psychological concept explains why a witness might change their account when they learn that others have given different statements?