Cognitive Interview - Limitations

Limitations

Though cognitive interviews have been shown to yield many positive results, this technique is not without its limitations. The most commonly cited problem regarding cognitive interviews is that they are more difficult to perform than standard police interviews. Cognitive interviews (CI) are more difficult to conduct than standard interviews (SI) in several ways.

  1. The CI takes longer to conduct than a standard police interview.
  2. The CI requires significantly higher levels of mental concentration from the interviewer.
  3. Cognitive interviews are only useful with cooperative eyewitnesses.

Ultimately, when performing a cognitive interview it is important to develop a rapport and trust between the interviewer and eyewitness to obtain the necessary information. This relationship is integral when conducting a cognitive interview as interrogation tactics often found in standard police interviews are not used.

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