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The effect of tailored reciprocity on information provision in an investigative interview

Lynn Weiher (the University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands)
Christina Winters (the Department of Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands)
Paul Taylor (the Lancaster University, Lancaster, UK)
Kirk Luther (the Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada)
Steven James Watson (the Section of Psychology of Conflict, Risk and Safety, University of Twente, Enschede, The Netherlands)

Journal of Criminal Psychology

ISSN: 2009-3829

Article publication date: 19 August 2024

129

Abstract

Purpose

In their study of reciprocity in investigative interviews, Matsumoto and Hwang (2018) found that offering interviewees water prior to the interview enhanced observer-rated rapport and positively affected information provision. This paper aims to examine whether tailoring the item towards an interviewee’s needs would further enhance information provision. This paper hypothesised that interviewees given a relevant item prior to the interview would disclose more information than interviewees given an irrelevant item or no item.

Design/methodology/approach

Participants (n = 85) ate pretzels to induce thirst, engaged in a cheating task with a confederate and were interviewed about their actions after receiving either no item, an irrelevant item to their induced thirst (pen and paper) or a relevant item (water).

Findings

This paper found that receiving a relevant item had a significant impact on information provision, with participants who received water providing the most details, and significantly more than participants that received no item.

Research limitations/implications

The findings have implications for obtaining information during investigative interviews and demonstrate a need for research on the nuances of social reciprocity in investigative interviewing.

Practical implications

The findings have implications for obtaining information during investigative interviews and demonstrate a need for research on the nuances of social reciprocity in investigative interviewing.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study is the first to experimentally test the effect of different item types upon information provision in investigative interviews.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

Funding: The authors would like to acknowledge funding provided by the Centre for Research and Evidence on Security Threats (ESRC Award: ES/N009614/1). CREST is funded in part by the UK Home Office and security and intelligence agencies. The funding arrangements required this paper to be reviewed to ensure that its contents did not violate the Official Secrets Act nor disclose sensitive, classified, and/or personal information. The authors have no known conflict of interest to disclose.

Citation

Weiher, L., Winters, C., Taylor, P., Luther, K. and Watson, S.J. (2024), "The effect of tailored reciprocity on information provision in an investigative interview", Journal of Criminal Psychology, Vol. ahead-of-print No. ahead-of-print. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-01-2024-0004

Publisher

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Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2024, Emerald Publishing Limited

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