Rapport quality in investigative interviews: effects on open-ended questions and free recall responses

ABSTRACT

In this study, we examined investigative interviews to identify relationships between interviewer–interviewee rapport quality, interviewers’ question format, and interviewees’ free recall responses. Specifically, we studied investigative interviews conducted with children and people with disabilities – vulnerable populations who tend to be reluctant to cooperate during investigative interviews. Studies suggest improving rapport quality to improve interview outcomes, but the research remains largely theoretical and experimental. Using actual field data from transcripts of 137 investigative interviews in South Korea, we evaluated rapport quality for each interview and subsequently measured the number of open-ended questions and free recall responses. Our analysis revealed a significant relationship between the rapport quality formed in the early stages of the investigative interview, frequency of open-ended questions, and frequency of free recall responses. In legal contexts, a victim’s testimony is considered more credible when free recall responses are provided as much as possible. Therefore, this study has strong implications for efforts targeted at increasing the effectiveness of investigative interviews.

KEYWORDS:

• Free recall
• quality of rapport
• people with disabilities
• investigative interview
• open-ended questions
• South Korea

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Seungjin Lee

Seungjin Lee is an assistant professor in Sang-Huh College of Humanities at Konkuk University, Seoul, South Korea. Her research specialty is in cognitive development, especially memory development. Much of her work has examined the age-related cognitive changes that affect children’s capacities to provide testimony in legal proceedings, and the ways in which alternative approaches to the management of child witnesses affect the accuracy and completeness of young children’s reports of their traumatic experiences.

Juyoung Kim

Juyoung Kim is a doctoral student in Family and Human Development at Arizona State University. She is a graduate associate in the T. Denny Sanford School of Social and Family Dynamics. Her research interests include the reciprocal relationship between children’s socio-cognitive development (i.e., executive function, theory of mind, memory) and their environments (i.e., family, peer, culture).