The Segmented Interview: Partitioning the Initial Free Recall Topics into Segments to Enhance Information Gathering and Lie Detection

Abstract

In standard investigative interviews, follow-up questioning from a free recall is typically based on the core topics of the free recall that are relevant to the event under investigation. We suggest the Segmented Interview as an alternative in which each free recall topic is partitioned into segments, and focused questioning occurs for each topic and segment separately, regardless of their relevance to the event under investigation. We expected the focused questioning of the Segmented Interview to elicit more details and Veracity cues than a Structured Interview. All participants (N = 80) completed three activities, of which only the second was different: Truth tellers visited a store, whereas lie tellers stole an envelope with money. Participants were then interviewed and provided a free recall, followed by open questions based on the Segmented or Structured Interview protocol. The Segmented Interview elicited more information and Veracity cues than the Structured Interview. These results suggest that the Segmented Interview may be a promising interview technique for eliciting information and detecting lies.