Key idea: The cognitive interview uses what is known about memory, such as context cues, to help witnesses recall more.
Ways to improve memory
1
Retrieval practice
Testing yourself strengthens the path back to a memory.
2
Spacing
Spreading study over days works better than cramming.
3
Context cues
Going back in mind to the place and feelings of an event helps recall.
Recall · Space · Cue
Köhnken and colleagues (1999) combined over 40 studies of the cognitive interview. It produced far more correct details than a standard interview, with a small rise in errors.
What HL adds: A meta-analysis combines many studies, so one odd result matters less. Say what that adds, and what it cannot fix, such as staged events in most studies.
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Key idea: Strategies based on how memory works can improve it, and some are tested in real settings.
Strengths
- Large, repeated effects
- Cheap and easy to use
- Based on memory research
Limitations
- Lab passages and staged events
- Needs effort and practice
- Some strategies raise errors
A strategy is strongest when it has been tested outside the laboratory, with the people who will use it.
Watch out: Explain why it works. Link the strategy to how memory works, not only to the result.