For as long as we have been researching human memory, psychologists have
been investigating how people remember and forget. This research is
regularly drawn upon in our legal systems. Historically, we have relied
upon eyewitness memory to help judge responsibility and adjudicate
truth, but memory is malleable, prone to error, and susceptible to bias.
Even confident eyewitnesses make mistakes, and even accurate witnesses
sometimes find their testimony subjected to harsh scrutiny.
Emerging from this environment, the Cognitive Interview (CI) became a
means of assisting cooperative witnesses with recalling more information
without sacrificing accuracy. First used by police interviewing adult
witnesses, it is now used with many populations in many contexts,
including public health, accident reconstruction, and the interrogation
of terror suspects. Evidence-Based Investigative Interviewing reviews
the application of cognitive research to investigative interviewing,
revealing how principles of cognition, memory, and social dynamics may
increase the accuracy of eyewitness testimony. It provides
evidence-based applications for investigators beyond the forensic domain
in areas such as eyewitness identification, detecting deception, and
interviewing children.
Drawing together the work of thirty-three authors across both the
academic and practice communities, this comprehensive collection is
essential reading for researchers in psychology, forensics, and
disciplines such as epidemiology and gerontology.
