PCI Interview & Interrogation Techniques 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A corporate investigator is interviewing an employee suspected of embezzlement. The employee suddenly becomes highly cooperative and offers to show bank records. This behavioral shift most likely indicates:
- Genuine innocence and a desire to clear their name
- A tactical attempt to control the direction of the investigation (Correct answer)
- Anxiety reduction following truthful disclosure
- Normal response to a professionally conducted interview
Correct answer: A tactical attempt to control the direction of the investigation
Sudden over-cooperation can be a tactical maneuver by guilty subjects to redirect investigators away from more damaging evidence.
Question 2: Which technique involves the investigator presenting false evidence to a suspect during interrogation to elicit a confession?
- Strategic use of evidence (SUE)
- Maximization technique
- False evidence ploy (Correct answer)
- Cognitive load induction
Correct answer: False evidence ploy
The false evidence ploy involves deceiving a suspect about the existence or strength of evidence; its legal permissibility varies by jurisdiction.
Question 3: The Strategic Use of Evidence (SUE) technique differs from traditional interrogation primarily because it:
- Relies entirely on physical evidence rather than verbal cues
- Withholds known evidence to detect inconsistencies in the subject's account (Correct answer)
- Requires immediate disclosure of all evidence to prompt faster confessions
- Is restricted to use by law enforcement agencies only
Correct answer: Withholds known evidence to detect inconsistencies in the subject's account
SUE strategically delays evidence disclosure to expose deceptive subjects who unknowingly contradict known facts.
Question 4: Paralinguistic cues that may indicate deception include all of the following EXCEPT:
- Increased speech errors and hesitations
- Higher vocal pitch under stress
- Longer response latency before answering
- Consistent speech rate throughout the interview (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Consistent speech rate throughout the interview
A consistent speech rate is not a deception indicator; deception is more often associated with variations in rate, pitch, hesitations, and latency.
Question 5: When documenting an interview, an investigator should record statements using:
- Paraphrased summaries to capture the essence of responses
- The subject's own words as closely as possible (Correct answer)
- Interpretive language that clarifies the subject's intent
- Abbreviated notes to be expanded into a report later from memory
Correct answer: The subject's own words as closely as possible
Verbatim documentation preserves the integrity of the statement and avoids introducing the investigator's interpretations or biases.
Question 6: An investigator notices a subject consistently touches their face when asked about specific financial transactions but not when discussing unrelated topics. This is best described as:
- A pathological lying indicator
- A deviation from the subject's established baseline behavior (Correct answer)
- Random nervous behavior with no investigative significance
- A sign the subject has been previously interrogated
Correct answer: A deviation from the subject's established baseline behavior
Behavioral significance lies in deviations from an individual's baseline — consistent face-touching only on relevant topics warrants further inquiry.
Question 7: Which of the following best describes the difference between an interview and an interrogation in an investigative context?
- Interviews are conducted by law enforcement; interrogations by private investigators
- Interviews are information-gathering conversations; interrogations are accusatory and designed to elicit admissions (Correct answer)
- Interviews require legal counsel present; interrogations do not
- Interviews are recorded; interrogations are conducted without recording
Correct answer: Interviews are information-gathering conversations; interrogations are accusatory and designed to elicit admissions
An interview is a non-accusatory, information-gathering dialogue, while an interrogation is a structured, accusatory process aimed at obtaining admissions or confessions from a known suspect.
PCI Interview & Interrogation Techniques 3
A corporate investigator is interviewing an employee suspected of embezzlement.
The employee suddenly becomes highly cooperative and offers to show bank records.
This behavioral shift most likely indicates: