Assessment of Optimal Interrogation Approaches
Abstract
In March 2006, the Department of Defense Polygraph Institute (DoDPI) [now the Defense Academy for Credibility Assessment (DACA)] Research Division requested research to determine the optimal approaches or techniques used by an interrogator. Specifically, DACA wanted the researchers to gather information from "expert" interrogators (referred to as "superior" interrogators) regarding the approaches and techniques they used in obtaining confessions/admissions following a failed credibility assessment and compare them with the more common approaches and techniques that are employed by the majority of interrogators. A failed credibility assessment is a polygraph examination in which the examinee has exhibited deception and/or the concealing of information pertaining to the focus of the polygraph examination. In May 2006, DoDPI awarded this research effort to Expert Advocates in Selection International Consult, LLC (EASI*Consult). EASI*Consult combined the elements of Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) with Competency Modeling (using Behavioral Event Interviewing) to identify, define, and describe behavior-based competencies that distinguish superior from average interrogators. Therefore, EASI*Consult's approach was based on interviewing 25 separate interrogators (both superior and average) while reviewing a videotape of each one's actual interrogation to elicit the knowledge and tasks that support performance. Based on CTA and Competency Modeling research, EASI*Consult's team identified 17 competencies that differentiated superior interrogators from average interrogators. These results are intended to be utilized in Year 2 to develop interrogator training strategies based on the improved understanding of interrogator expertise derived from Year 1. Therefore, the last section of this report identifies key implications of this research for potential enhancements to interrogator training as well as other possible applications of the research results.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- May 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA476369
Entities
People
- David E. Smith
- David Hoff
- Jerard Kehoe
- Joseph Gier