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Abstract
Previous studies have investigated the effects of a humanitarian rapport-orientated and a dominant non-rapport-orientated interview style on the memory performance of adults in two interviews separated by a 6-month interval. Also, the impact of interviewees’ personality on recall was investigated. In the present exploratory study, the data that formed the basis of previous findings were re-analysed for potential indirect effects of interview approach on interviewees’ recall, and for any potential relation between the interview approach and interviewees’ recall as moderated by their personality. Results showed three full mediation effects in the second interview: the rapport index (interviewers’ demeanour) mediated the relation between the interview approach and increased recall; the non-rapport index mediated the relations between the interview approach and decreased recall. Follow-up analyses showed a full mediation effect for the individual items friendliness and cooperation in the rapport index, and for negative attitude, nonchalance, impatience and brusqueness and obstinacy in the non-rapport index. Moreover, the results showed a significant moderation effect; the relationship between the interview approach and confabulated memories being moderated by openness to experience; and a high level of openness was associated with an increase in confabulated memories.
PUBLIC INTEREST STATEMENT
The police interview is an important investigative tool in criminal investigations. How the police conduct these investigative interviews affects not only crime victim’s and suspect’s legal rights but also the public’s perception of the police. This article investigated whether the interviewer’s behaviour related to interview styles (a humanitarian versus a dominant style) in greater detail could explain previous findings—that a humanitarianly conducted interview elicited a larger amount of information. It was found that the interviewer’s conduct alone in some instances explained an increased recall in the humanitarian approach, and a decreased recall in the dominant condition. Understanding these effects can help improve the police’s ability to elicit more information during interviews. An increased recall may give crime victims increased opportunities for justice as well as help not guilty suspects to show their innocence.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
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Notes on contributors
Kent Madsen
The first author’s ongoing research project has a Therapeutic Jurisprudential approach. Basically, it experimentally investigates the effects of two empirically grounded interview styles, a humanitarian rapport-orientated and a dominant non-rapport-orientated approach, on adult’s memory performance and psychological well-being in two interviews separated with a 6-month interval. Also investigated was the effect of interviewees’ personality on recall. The findings of these previous studies, in essence, show that a humanitarian rapport-orientated approach facilitated the interviewee’s recall as well as their psychological well-being, whereas a dominant non-rapport-orientated approach hampered their recall and contributed to a decreased psychological well-being. The research reported in this paper is connected to previous studies insofar that it seeks to confirm and refine previous results. In a wider perspective, the results may help identify empirically supported aspects that forms the essence of rapport.