FBI Interview & Interrogation Techniques 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which interrogation technique involves presenting the suspect with two choices, both of which imply guilt, to make confession seem more attractive?
- Good cop/bad cop
- Alternative question technique (Correct answer)
- Cognitive interview
- Reid minimization
Correct 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.
Question 2: In behavioral analysis during interviews, clusters of deceptive cues are more reliable than single cues because:
- Single cues are legally inadmissible
- Clusters reduce the likelihood that behavior is caused by unrelated stress or anxiety (Correct answer)
- FBI policy requires minimum three cues before questioning
- Single cues trigger Miranda warnings
Correct 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.
Question 3: 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:
- Strong truthfulness
- Character-based distancing rather than factual denial (Correct answer)
- The suspect has legal counsel
- The suspect is invoking Fifth Amendment rights
Correct 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.
Question 4: The FBI's PEACE model of investigative interviewing prioritizes which approach over confession-seeking?
- Physical evidence collection before any interview
- Information-gathering without pressure tactics (Correct answer)
- Psychological coercion when evidence is strong
- Speed of interrogation to prevent attorney contact
Correct 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.
Question 5: Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) technique improves interview outcomes primarily by:
- Presenting all evidence immediately to overwhelm the suspect
- Withholding evidence strategically to catch inconsistencies in the suspect's account (Correct answer)
- Fabricating evidence to test suspect reactions
- Sharing evidence only with defense counsel before interview
Correct 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.
Question 6: When an interviewee provides excessive, unsolicited detail about an alibi early in the interview, behavioral analysts often interpret this as:
- A sign of high intelligence and cooperation
- Possible over-preparation suggesting rehearsed deception (Correct answer)
- Confirmation of innocence requiring no further questioning
- Evidence the subject has prior law enforcement experience
Correct 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.
Question 7: During a cognitive interview, the 'report everything' instruction is given primarily to:
- Allow investigators to complete the suspect's sentences
- Encourage witnesses to report all details without self-censoring for perceived relevance (Correct answer)
- Establish dominance in the interview room
- Satisfy legal requirements for complete transcripts
Correct 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.
FBI Interview & Interrogation Techniques 2
Which interrogation technique involves presenting the suspect with two choices, both of which imply guilt, to make confession seem more attractive?