As I have written in previous columns, psychological elements are often necessary in "interrogation."
The police employ effective questioning to obtain truthful statements, a mechanism for false statements to prevent false accusations, and psychological methods to prevent this.To that end, the document "December 24 Criminal Planning Division, Criminal Affairs Bureau, National Police Agency "Interrogation (Basics)"] can be seen.
From now on, I would like to add my personal opinion based on this material.
On page 3 of the same document, “Second factors affecting the accuracy and completeness of memory”, “2. The higher the number, the more accurate the memory. Conversely, if the experience or witnessing time is short and the frequency is low, it should be noted that the memory may be inaccurate." “In addition, the intensity of the stimulus of an event also affects memory. Things that are easy to perceive, such as certain things or things that stand out more than others, are more likely to be remembered. It says.
Everyone, please imagine the signboard on the school road.
Think about the color, shape, words, and content of the signboards that are placed along the roads you walk on every day.Doesn't it come to mind like an image (photo)?Even if you are not particularly interested in the sign or are not aware of it, you can probably tell what it says.On the other hand, many people may not even remember the existence of signboards installed in places they visit for the first time.
However, even if it's the first time you've visited a place, if it's something you're interested in, don't you remember the details? (Nowadays, I think that many people take pictures with their smartphones when they come across such signs, but for now, please think of it as a memory.)
The signboard on the school road is an example of the above-mentioned "time, frequency is high" case.Signs of things you are interested in are examples of "stimulus intensity."
It is not so common to have an experience like "I happened to witness a crime even on the road I pass every day".Even if it is a momentary, short-time, one-time sighting, it is exactly ``an extraordinary thing, something that moves, something that stands out from the rest,'' and ``it is possible if the stimulus is stronger. The more it is, the more likely it is to be retained as a memory.”
Investigators will hear from witnesses identified through interviews. (Not only the perpetrator but also witnesses are interrogated.) If security camera footage is not available, we will evoke the witnesses' memories and prepare a statement.Although it is a very stimulating experience, as the materials say, "However, even if the experience is strong and easy to remember, it is not always possible to recall and report it accurately." .
For eyewitnesses, the more stimulating the experience, the stronger the impression of the act, and they will describe the act in fragments and in the order in which they remember it.As a result, statements tend to be made in which the chronological order is uncertain.That doesn't stop the eyewitness from speaking fragmentarily of himself or questioning him word by word.Listen to the whole story, write down each act, and when the witnesses have calmed down, repeat the story as time passes based on each word.While recalling the actions leading up to the sighting, the sighting, and the actions after the sighting, we connect the actions and words that we first heard over time.It's like fitting the pieces of a puzzle together, but when you slowly trace a series of actions from the start point to the goal point, your memory becomes a single thread.
In this way, a statement of reference (eyewitness) is created.
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