TY - JOUR
T1 - Eliciting intelligence using the scharff-technique
T2 - Closing in on the confirmation/disconfirmation-tactic
AU - May, Lennart
AU - Granhag, Pär Anders
AU - Oleszkiewicz, Simon
PY - 2014/6
Y1 - 2014/6
N2 - The current study examined interview techniques aimed at eliciting intelligence from human sources. We compared two versions of the Scharff-technique to the Direct Approach (a combination of open and direct questions). The Scharff conditions, conceptualised into four tactics, differed only with respect to the 'confirmation/disconfirmation-tactic'. The participants (N=90) received background information and took the role as a source in a phone interview. They were instructed to strike a balance between not revealing too little and too much information. As predicted, the Scharff-technique resulted in more new information than the Direct Approach. Importantly, the sources interviewed by the Scharff-technique perceived that they had revealed less new information than they objectively did, whereas the sources interviewed by the Direct Approach perceived that they had revealed more new information than they objectively did. Furthermore, the interviewer's information objectives were better masked with the confirmation-tactic than with the disconfirmation-tactic. The results highlight the Scharff-technique as a promising human intelligence gathering technique.
AB - The current study examined interview techniques aimed at eliciting intelligence from human sources. We compared two versions of the Scharff-technique to the Direct Approach (a combination of open and direct questions). The Scharff conditions, conceptualised into four tactics, differed only with respect to the 'confirmation/disconfirmation-tactic'. The participants (N=90) received background information and took the role as a source in a phone interview. They were instructed to strike a balance between not revealing too little and too much information. As predicted, the Scharff-technique resulted in more new information than the Direct Approach. Importantly, the sources interviewed by the Scharff-technique perceived that they had revealed less new information than they objectively did, whereas the sources interviewed by the Direct Approach perceived that they had revealed more new information than they objectively did. Furthermore, the interviewer's information objectives were better masked with the confirmation-tactic than with the disconfirmation-tactic. The results highlight the Scharff-technique as a promising human intelligence gathering technique.
KW - Confirmation/disconfirmation-tactic
KW - Human intelligence gathering
KW - Information elicitation
KW - Interrogation
KW - The Scharff-technique
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U2 - 10.1002/jip.1412
DO - 10.1002/jip.1412
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84901693462
SN - 1544-4759
VL - 11
SP - 136
EP - 150
JO - Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling
JF - Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling
IS - 2
ER -