Field Test of the Cognitive Interview to Enhance Eyewitness and Victim Memory, in Intelligence Investigations of Terrorist Attacks

Tzachi Ashkenazi; Ronald P. Fisher

doi:10.1037/h0101871

Field Test of the Cognitive Interview to Enhance Eyewitness and Victim Memory, in Intelligence Investigations of Terrorist Attacks

Tzachi Ashkenazi
, Ronald P. Fisher

Israeli Prime Minister’s Office
Florida International University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

13 Scopus citations

Abstract

Information elicited from witnesses is critical to the fight against terrorism. We trained experienced Israeli intelligence investigators to use the Cognitive Interview (CI) technique to enhance witnesses’ reporting in real-world investigations of terrorism (e.g., stabbings). We examined 60 cases in which Jewish and Arab respondents (victims, witnesses, and occasional sources of intelligence information; civilians and soldiers) were interviewed initially with a standard protocol. All respondents were interviewed a second time: 30 with a standard protocol and 30 with a CI. Compared to using a standard protocol on the second interview, the CI elicited more information and also more new information (not already in the first interview), and the CIelicited new information was rated as being more useful.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	200-208
Number of pages	9
Journal	Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition
Volume	11
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1037/h0101871
State	Published - 2022
Externally published	Yes

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2021. American Psychological Association

Funding

The authors would like to thank the members of the Behavioral Science Unit for their help in coding the interviewer's reports. Because of the sensitive nature of the data collected for this study, requests to access the dataset from qualified researchers trained in human subject confidentiality protocols may be sent to the corresponding author.

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Keywords

Cognitive interview
Criminal investigation
Eyewitness memory
Field study
Intelligence gathering
Terrorism

Access to Document

10.1037/h0101871

Cite this

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Field Test of the Cognitive Interview to Enhance Eyewitness and Victim Memory, in Intelligence Investigations of Terrorist Attacks

Abstract

Bibliographical note

Funding

UN SDGs

Keywords

Access to Document

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