Addressing Unanswered Questions About the Shift of Strategy Approach: A Multi-Study Investigation of Approach Variations, Repeated Interviews, and Innocent Versus Guilty Responses

Introduction. The Shift-of-Strategy (SoS) approach aims to obtain concealed information from semi-cooperative suspects by prompting them to shift toward more forthcoming counter-interrogation strategies. While previous studies on the approach have shown promising results, important questions remain about its practical application. This paper reports three studies addressing these gaps. Aim. Study 1 tested two SoS variations designed to maintain suspects’ engagement and motivation to appear credible during interviews. Study 2 examined the approach in a repeated-interview context simulating an evolving investigation. Study 3 compared the approach’s effects on disclosures from innocent and guilty suspects. Methods. Within each study, participants completed a mock crime procedure and were thereafter interviewed as mock suspects. Following the interview, participants provided assessments of their experiences of being interviewed. Results. Study I suggest that the SoS approach’s efficacy is robust to procedural variation though the tactics aimed at maintaining suspect motivation did not provide additional benefits over the standard SoS approach. Study 2 revealed an important boundary condition; the approach’s effectiveness was limited when initial evidence was scarce. Study 3 demonstrated that innocent suspects were forthcoming regardless of their assigned interviewing condition, whereas guilty suspects disclosed more previously unknown information under SoS. Conclusion. The findings demonstrate that the SoS approach is robust to variation, however its efficacy is not maintained when evidence is sparse. Importantly, the approach does not appear to disadvantage innocent suspects. Together, the studies refine the understanding of how the SoS approach should be deployed for use in investigative practice.