Enhancing police interviews: How age, verbal instruction, rapport and question type influence adult witness confidence and accuracy reports

Witnesses are pivotal to police investigations and rapport-building is considered crucial to interview effectiveness. Study findings have implications for operational interviewing, research, and training. In this online study, 198 adult participants were randomly allocated to control, rapport or verbal instruction (VI) conditions, separated by age. Results showed those aged 18–33 were less accurate in free recall and more susceptible to confabulation in VI. Confidence for directive leading questions was higher in VI than rapport. Outcomes suggest a statement strengthening the requirement not to make-up details should be implemented, with effective rapport-building essential to guard against the impact of questioning.