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Evaluating the Impact of Evidence Disclosure Timings on Rapport and Information Sharing during Suspect Interviews
Heuking, Caroline (2025) Evaluating the Impact of Evidence Disclosure Timings on Rapport and Information Sharing during Suspect Interviews.
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| Abstract: | Investigative interviews are a common practice by the police in the investigation of crimes to gain as much true information about an incident possible. To support investigators in achieving this goal, the current study examined how the disclosure timing of evidence inherent to different interviewing techniques influences the development of rapport and the amount of information shared by the suspect with the interviewer. The two techniques examined are the Tactical use of evidence (TUE) to which a gradual evidence disclosure is central, and the Strategic use of evidence (SUE) that is characterized by a late evidence disclosure. To do so, a 2 (suspect status: guilty vs. innocent) x 2 (disclosure timing: late vs. gradual) design was implemented, replicating an online study by Geschiere (2025), with the difference that the current study took place in a face-to-face setting. The participants of this study (N = 93) took part in a mock suspect interview, which was followed by questionnaire that evaluated the rapport established during the interview, while counting the pieces of novel information shared. The first 2 × 2 ANOVA revealed no significant effect of disclosure timing and suspect status on rapport, so innocent suspects did not report higher rapport than guilty suspects, regardless of the interviewing technique. Contrary, the second 2 × 2 ANOVA revealed significant effects of disclosure timing and suspect status on information sharing. Concretely, a gradual evidence disclosure was associated with higher information sharing, especially among innocent suspects. These findings suggest that in comparison to revealing evidence at the end of the interviews, a gradual evidence disclosure motivates suspects to share more information, which supports interviewers in achieving the goal of suspect interviewing. |
| Item Type: | Essay (Bachelor) |
| Faculty: | BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences |
| Subject: | 77 psychology |
| Programme: | Psychology BSc (56604) |
| Link to this item: | https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/106706 |
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