The cognitive interview for eyewitnesses with autism spectrum disorder.
Skip cognitive interview techniques with ASD witnesses—they reduce accuracy compared to standard structured interviews.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Researchers compared two ways to question adults with autism about a staged crime.
One group got the full cognitive interview. The other got a plain structured interview.
Both groups watched the same short video, then answered questions the next day.
What they found
The cognitive interview cut accuracy for adults with autism.
They added more wrong details than the group who got the simple interview.
Standard police tricks like "mental reinstatement" backfired.
How this fits with other research
Matson et al. (2013) later showed the same adults can recall well if you skip fancy cues.
Jackman et al. (2018) found a fix for kids: let them draw while they talk.
Hsu et al. (2017) got a small boost with a computer avatar interviewer.
Together the four papers say: drop the classic CI, try visuals or tech instead.
Why it matters
If you interview clients about events—bullying, abuse, a meltdown—keep questions short and concrete. Skip "picture the room" prompts. Try drawing, photos, or a tablet. One small change protects the truth.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
The cognitive interview (CI) is one of the most widely accepted forms of interviewing techniques for eliciting the most detailed, yet accurate reports from witnesses. No research, however, has examined its effectiveness with witnesses with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Twenty-six adults with ASD and 26 matched typical adults viewed a video of an enacted crime, and were then interviewed with either a CI, or a structured interview (SI) without the CI mnemonics. Groups did not differ on the quantity or quality of their reports when interviewed with a SI, however, when interviewed with a CI the ASD group was significantly less accurate. Findings indicate that investigative professionals should be cautious in relying on the CI to interview witnesses with ASD.
Journal of autism and developmental disorders, 2010 · doi:10.1007/s10803-010-0997-8