The Cognitive Interview

The Cognitive Interview (CI) was developed by Fisher & Geiselman (1992) as an improved technique for interviewing eyewitnesses. It is based on psychological research into memory retrieval and was designed to increase the amount of accurate information obtained from witnesses without increasing the risk of false memories. The CI represents one of the most successful applications of psychological research to real-world practice.

Key Definition: The Cognitive Interview is a police interviewing technique designed to improve the accuracy and completeness of eyewitness recall by using psychologically-based retrieval strategies.

---

The Four Original Techniques

Fisher and Geiselman proposed four key techniques, each grounded in psychological theory:

1. Mental Reinstatement of Context

Key Definition: Mental reinstatement of context involves asking the witness to mentally recreate the environment and their internal state at the time of the event — including sights, sounds, smells, weather, emotions, and thoughts.