Cognitive Interview (CI)

The  Cognitive Interview is a technique developed by Fisher and Geiselman to improve the accuracy of recall when interviewing eyewitnesses about the events they witnessed. Research by Elizabeth Loftus and her colleagues had established that interviewer questions and comments could produce misinformation and false memories.

The original CI included four components:

1. Asking the witness to try to report everything, which can guard against introducing false information by suggestive questions.

2. Asking the witness to reinstate what the setting of their experience, which can improve recall.

3. Asking the witness to recall the events in the time sequence of what happened.

4. Asking the witness to take a different perspective on the event such as the victim's view, which might lead to the recall of additional details.

Additionally, interviewers are advised to build a relationship with the eyewitness.