Interview & Interrogation Techniques Flashcards

Which interviewing approach is considered more ethical and evidence-based than the Reid Technique and focuses on information-gathering rather than confession-seeking?

Answer: PEACE model

The PEACE model is a non-coercive, information-gathering framework developed in the UK that is considered more ethical than confession-focused methods.

What is 'strategic use of evidence' (SUE) in investigative interviewing?

Answer: Withholding known evidence and strategically revealing it to detect inconsistencies in a suspect's account

SUE involves withholding known evidence and presenting it incrementally to identify inconsistencies between the suspect's account and the evidence.

Which psychological phenomenon explains why a person may come to believe and confess to a crime they did not commit?

Answer: Internalized false confession driven by memory contamination

Internalized false confessions occur when a susceptible individual, often under pressure, actually comes to believe they committed the act and confesses sincerely.

When conducting an interview in a corporate theft investigation, which seating arrangement is generally MOST conducive to open communication?

Answer: Side-by-side at a table without a barrier between interviewer and subject

Side-by-side seating without barriers reduces defensiveness and power imbalance, which encourages more open and cooperative communication.

What is the purpose of the 'theme development' step in the Reid Technique's interrogation phase?

Answer: To provide the suspect with a moral justification or minimized version of events to encourage confession

Theme development offers the suspect face-saving rationalizations or moral justifications to lower psychological barriers to confession.

A witness initially provides a very detailed account of peripheral details but is vague about the core event. What might this suggest to an experienced interviewer?

Answer: Possible fabrication, as genuine memory is typically clearest about the central event

Genuine eyewitness memory is generally clearest for central, emotionally significant events; excessive peripheral detail with vague core details may suggest fabrication.

Under what circumstances may an inspector legally record an interview without the subject's knowledge in the United States?

Answer: In one-party consent states, when one party to the conversation (the inspector) consents

In one-party consent states, recording is lawful when at least one party (typically the interviewer) consents, but all-party consent states require every participant's agreement.