Interview & Interrogation Techniques Flashcards

Which interrogation technique involves presenting the suspect with two choices, both of which imply guilt, to make confession seem more attractive?

Answer: Alternative question technique

The alternative question technique offers two guilt-implying options (e.g., 'Did you plan this or did it happen spontaneously?') to ease the psychological path to confession.

In behavioral analysis during interviews, clusters of deceptive cues are more reliable than single cues because:

Answer: Clusters reduce the likelihood that behavior is caused by unrelated stress or anxiety

Behavioral clusters reduce false positives by distinguishing deception-specific responses from normal anxiety, nervousness, or baseline variation.

When a suspect uses a 'denial of denial' — saying 'I wouldn't do something like that' instead of 'I didn't do it' — this linguistic pattern may suggest:

Answer: Character-based distancing rather than factual denial

Character-based denials ('I'm not that kind of person') sidestep factual assertions and may indicate the subject is avoiding a direct lie.

The FBI's PEACE model of investigative interviewing prioritizes which approach over confession-seeking?

Answer: Information-gathering without pressure tactics

PEACE (Preparation, Engage, Account, Closure, Evaluate) is an information-gathering framework that avoids manipulative tactics and focuses on accurate intelligence collection.

Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) technique improves interview outcomes primarily by:

Answer: Withholding evidence strategically to catch inconsistencies in the suspect's account

SUE delays disclosure of key evidence so that a deceptive suspect commits to a false account that can later be contradicted by the withheld evidence.

When an interviewee provides excessive, unsolicited detail about an alibi early in the interview, behavioral analysts often interpret this as:

Answer: Possible over-preparation suggesting rehearsed deception

Overly detailed, pre-emptive alibi narratives can indicate rehearsal, as truthful subjects typically provide information in response to questions rather than volunteering scripted accounts.

During a cognitive interview, the 'report everything' instruction is given primarily to:

Answer: Encourage witnesses to report all details without self-censoring for perceived relevance

Witnesses often omit details they consider trivial; the 'report everything' instruction recovers peripheral details that may prove critical to the investigation.