CPE Interview Methods 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which interviewing technique involves repeating a subject's last few words back to them to encourage elaboration?
- Mirroring (Correct answer)
- Cognitive load technique
- Minimization
- Baiting
Correct answer: Mirroring
Mirroring repeats the subject's own words to create rapport and prompt further disclosure without leading the subject.
Question 2: In the Cognitive Interview, 'mental reinstatement of context' refers to:
- Asking the subject to imagine returning to the scene mentally (Correct answer)
- Showing crime scene photographs
- Repeating questions in random order
- Having the subject write a statement
Correct answer: Asking the subject to imagine returning to the scene mentally
Mental reinstatement prompts witnesses to mentally recreate the environmental and personal context of the event to improve recall accuracy.
Question 3: What is the primary risk of using leading questions during a pre-test interview?
- They contaminate the subject's narrative with examiner-suggested details (Correct answer)
- They establish rapport too quickly
- They violate Miranda rights
- They reduce the length of the interview
Correct answer: They contaminate the subject's narrative with examiner-suggested details
Leading questions can implant information into the subject's account, compromising the integrity of the examination.
Question 4: During an information-gathering interview, an examiner notices the subject provides excessive, unprompted detail about irrelevant periods. This most likely indicates:
- Possible deception through misdirection (Correct answer)
- High recall ability
- Cooperativeness
- Anxiety disorder
Correct answer: Possible deception through misdirection
Providing unsolicited detail about irrelevant timeframes can be a deceptive strategy to shift focus away from the critical period.
Question 5: The Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) technique differs from traditional interrogation primarily because it:
- Withholds evidence strategically to detect inconsistencies (Correct answer)
- Confronts the subject with all evidence immediately
- Requires two examiners present
- Is only used in civil cases
Correct answer: Withholds evidence strategically to detect inconsistencies
SUE delays revealing known evidence so the subject's spontaneous account can be compared against it to identify deceptive contradictions.
Question 6: Which of the following best describes 'paralinguistic' cues assessed during an interview?
- Vocal characteristics such as pitch, rate, and pausing (Correct answer)
- Body posture and gestures
- Written statements
- Facial micro-expressions
Correct answer: Vocal characteristics such as pitch, rate, and pausing
Paralinguistic cues include non-verbal aspects of speech such as tone, hesitation, and speech rate that may signal deception.
Question 7: When a subject is asked an open-ended question and responds with a question instead of an answer, the examiner should interpret this as:
- A possible evasion requiring follow-up probing (Correct answer)
- Confirmation the subject did not understand
- A sign the question was too complex
- An indicator of truthfulness
Correct answer: A possible evasion requiring follow-up probing
Answering a question with a question is a classic evasion behavior that warrants probing to obtain a direct response.
CPE Interview Methods 2
Which interviewing technique involves repeating a subject's last few words back to them to encourage elaboration?