Strategic Sequences in Police Interviews and the Importance of Order and Cultural Fit

• NCJ Number: 236038
• Journal: Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 9 Issue: 38 Dated: September 2011 Pages: 934-954
• Author(s): Karlijn Beune; Ellen Giebels; Wendi L. Adair; Bob M. Fennis; Karen I. Van Der Zee
• Date Published: September 2011
• Length: 21 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This article examines the concept of strategic sequences to police interviews.

Abstract

This study introduces the concept of strategic sequences to police interviews and concentrates on the impact of active listening behavior and rational arguments. To test the authors' central assumption that the effectiveness of strategic sequences is dependent on cultural fit (i.e., the match with the cultural background of suspects), young people participated in virtual police interviews. Study 1 demonstrated that contrast sequences accentuating rational rather than relational behavior were found to be effective in eliciting information and admissions from suspects originating from cultures that tend to use more direct and content-oriented communication (i.e., low-context cultures), whereas for suspects from cultures that use more indirect and context-oriented communication (i.e., high-context cultures) a nonsignificant trend in reversed order was found. Study 2 added the investigation of the joint impact of active listening and rational arguments. In line with predictions, the results showed that an active listeningrational arguments sequence is most effective when active listening behavior precedesrather than followsrational arguments. (Published Abstract)