As it was originally intended, the cognitive interview consisted of four primary mnemonic components:
(a) Mentally reinstate the context of the event;
(b) Report everything (i.e. don't censor recollections that you think are unimportant);
(c) Change perspectives (i.e., recall events from the point of view of someone else who witnessed the event);
(d) Recall events in a different order -- that were to be implemented as needed in a protocol that emphasized free-narrative, followed by focused-questions and recall formats."
However, when misused, a cognitive interview can facilitate the development of false memories.
Read about cognitive interviewing and more in the latest FMSF Newsletter
www.fmsfonline.org/currentnewsletter.html
