Cognitive Interview Technique

The Cognitive Interview Technique is a method used by investigators to help witnesses and victims recall more accurate details of an event. It involves guiding them through different mental contexts, such as imagining the setting or recalling the event from various perspectives, to enhance memory retrieval. The process encourages open-ended descriptions and minimizes suggestiveness to reduce errors. By using communication strategies rooted in understanding how memory works, the technique aims to gather more complete and reliable information without leading the person.