Were you being coercive or providing an opportunity to come clean? : an investigation of alternative questions

Abstract

Interrogations in North America are guided by the Reid Model of Interrogations. The model comprises nine steps, and the two studies presented in this paper investigate step seven: alternative questions (AQs). Alternative questions provide a suspect with two incriminating options in the form of a forced-choice question. Study 1 investigated interrogations using 33 police interrogation videos provided by an Atlantic Canadian Police Department. It was found that officers rely heavily on AQs, but often the questions are met with silence. Study 2 (N = 43) investigated AQs in a lab setting which induced participants to cheat during a task meant to be completed independently. Participants were interrogated either using AQs or not. It was found that participants felt low levels of pressure to confess, and about half of participants lied about cheating on the independent task. No false confessions were obtained. Results of the studies are discussed independently and in combination.