Interview Techniques & Communication Flashcards
7 cards from real CFE practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Interview Techniques & Communication flashcards as text
During a forensic interview, a suspect suddenly becomes silent and crosses their arms after being asked about missing funds. What is the BEST initial response?
Answer: Allow silence to continue briefly without filling it
Strategic silence after a sensitive question can pressure the subject to fill the void and may elicit additional information or admissions.
Which interviewing approach is specifically designed to minimize false confessions by focusing on evidence-based questioning rather than psychological pressure?
Answer: PEACE model
The PEACE model (Preparation, Engage, Account, Closure, Evaluate) is a non-coercive, evidence-based framework developed to reduce false confessions.
A CFE is interviewing a witness who provides excessive irrelevant detail. What technique helps refocus the interview while maintaining rapport?
Answer: Allow the witness to finish, then use a bridging statement
A bridging statement acknowledges what the witness said and smoothly transitions back to the relevant topic without damaging rapport.
What is 'statement validity analysis' (SVA) used for in forensic interviews?
Answer: Assessing the credibility of a witness's statement through content criteria
SVA uses criteria-based content analysis (CBCA) to evaluate whether statement content is consistent with truthful accounts versus fabricated ones.
During an interview, a subject's verbal account contradicts the physical evidence. Which technique should the CFE use FIRST?
Answer: Ask open-ended follow-up questions to explore the account further
Open-ended follow-up questions allow the subject to elaborate or reveal inconsistencies without prematurely revealing evidence or damaging the interview.
Which of the following best describes 'cognitive load' in the context of deception detection?
Answer: The additional mental burden of maintaining a lie while appearing credible
Deception requires simultaneous fabrication, monitoring of the interviewer, and controlling behavior, creating higher cognitive load than truthful recall.
What is the PRIMARY purpose of an interview 'theme' in the context of a CFE obtaining an admission?
Answer: To provide a moral or psychological justification that makes admission easier
A theme offers the subject a face-saving rationalization (e.g., external pressures) that lowers psychological resistance to admitting wrongdoing.