Public perceptions of eyewitness interview formats

A heightened awareness of the need for alternatives to face-to-face interviewing, alongside technological advances and research innovations, has increased the possibilities for novel approaches to eyewitness interviewing, such as the Self-Administred Interview© (SAI) and online interviewing. While they can produce statements that are as accurate and detailed as face-to-face interviews, little is known about witnesses’ willingness to be interviewed through non-conventional methods. Participants (N = 577) were presented with one of four vignettes depicting a robbery varied by crime severity (mild vs. serious) and personal involvement (witness vs. victim). Participants then rank-ordered their preference for five types of interview format, from 1 (most preferred) to 5 (least preferred). Face-to-face was the most preferred interview format (mrank = 2.06), followed by telephone (mrank = 2.45), video chat (mrank = 3.10), the written SAI (mrank = 3.61), and the digital SAI (mrank = 3.77). Vignette condition had little effect on this overall trend. Analysis of open-ended questions revealed that a perceived ease of communication was the main reason for preferring face-to-face interviews. Both SAI© options were perceived to be inefficient and to create barriers to communication. Interventions may be required to improve public perception of nontraditional interview formats.