Adults report positive perceptions of ground rule instructions in mock investigative interviews

Abstract

Ground rules establish the conversational expectations during an interview and are intended to reduce interviewee discomfort and increase response accuracy towards problematic interview questions. This study explored perceptions of ground rule instructions in adult interviews. Younger (18–40 years) and older (60+ years) adults (N = 168) were interviewed about a film depicting an implied sexual assault or a personal event. Participants received either three ground rules as statements (‘Don’t Know’, ‘Don’t Understand’ and ‘Correct Me’) or the three statements with practice questions. Participants were interviewed about their perceptions of ground rules. Overall, ground rules were perceived as useful (85%) and as having a positive impact on interviewees’ emotional state (55%) and perceptions of the interviewer (35%). Perceptions did not vary based on contextual factors, but female and younger adults endorsed ground rules as useful more often than other groups. The results suggest that ground rules may improve adults’ experience of being interviewed.