It Takes Two: The Round-Robin Methodology for Investigative Interviewing Research

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Forensic Science
• Social Interaction

Background:

• Investigative interviews are complex social interactions.
• Research often focuses on interviewer questioning, overlooking natural variations in practice.
• Understanding idiosyncrasies of witnesses, interviewers, and their pairings is crucial.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore sources of variation in investigative interviews.
• To analyze the influence of individual participants versus unique pairings on interview performance.
• To introduce and validate the round-robin methodology for studying interview dynamics.

Main Methods:

• Employed a round-robin design with 45 participants (witnesses and interviewers).
• Each witness observed five events and was interviewed by four different interviewers or via written interview.
• Conducted 225 total interviews, analyzing statement accuracy, detail, and subjective experiences.

Main Results:

• Both witness and interviewer characteristics affected statement quality.
• The unique interview experience (dyadic interaction) had the greatest impact on performance.
• Individual performance and subjective ratings were analyzed against typical participant and event factors.

Conclusions:

• The round-robin methodology effectively captures realistic variations in interviewer, witness, and dyad behavior.
• The specific interaction between an interviewer and a witness is a key determinant of interview outcomes.
• Future research can utilize this design to better understand the complexities of investigative interviewing.