Kayla Gratter
Cj140
Module 6
Closed-Ender Question
: Do you realize you're facing serious trouble?
The goal of this style of questioning is to obtain a brief, straightforward response that
demonstrates how well the interviewer and the interviewee understand one another. Closed-
ended questions only call for brief responses and may suggest to the officer that his or her
function throughout the interrogation is to reply only when spoken to.
Open-Ended Question:
Why did you provide the contraband items to her husband (prisoner)?
This kind of questioning attempts to determine the motivation behind the action or gather
an explanation regarding it. In a cognitive interview, the subject talks for roughly 80% of the
time while the interviewer only contributes 20% of the time. This is mostly accomplished by
asking open-ended questions that encourage the interviewee to provide the necessary,
comprehensive information.
Reference:
Remsberg. C. (2014. March 27). How this one interview technique can beat Lying
suspects. Police1.
https://www.police1.com/police-products/investigation/articles/how-this-
one-interview-technique-can-beat-lying-suspects-OGV8lyqVnIYaYSZ5/
