Forensics Journal - Stevenson University 2010 | Page 30

STEVENSON UNIVERSITY

ity judgments which are based on several factors operating contemporaneously, not only information provided but also the interviewee’s
overall demeanor (what is said, how it is said, and other attendant
behavioral cues).

Blair and Kooi (2004) challenged the validity of the Reid Technique,
claiming that “The existing literature reveals serious lack of knowledge
regarding The Reid Technique” (p. 82). It is the contention of the
present paper that this conclusion is overly pessimistic in two regards:
one is that it is based on an incomplete representation of the Reid
Technique; the other is that, based on this incomplete representation,
the authors chose to ignore research findings that actually lend support to the viability of the Reid Technique.

To assist law enforcement in making valid credibility judgments
within an interview context, John E. Reid and Associates (Reid)
developed a model to guide investigators on paying attention to
what are the most important factors during an interview. The Reid
Technique of Interviewing and Interrogation (Reid Technique as it
has come to be known) has achieved a wide degree of acceptance.
As noted by Blair and Kooi (2004), Reid has trained over 150,000
criminal investigators from many countries throughout the world.
And, their book, Criminal Interrogations and Confessions (Inbau, Reid,
Buckley, & Jayne, 2001) has been touted as the most commonly
employed text in the criminal justice field (Gudjonsson, 2003; Leo,
2001; Vrij, 2000).

Because Blair and Kooi (2004) evaluated results from a study by
DePaulo, et al. (2003) as their basis for claiming a disconnection
between research and practice in the detection of deception, details of
this study will be reviewed below. Following this review and discussion of limitations of the analysis provided by Blair and Kooi (2004),
a broader analysis of DePaulo, et al. (2003) is proffered, one that
arguably lends more credence to the deception detection methods
taught by Reid and Associates.

OVERVIEW OF THE REID TECHNIQUE OF INTERVIEW
AND INTERROGATION

THE DEPAULO ET AL. (2003) STUDY
DePaulo, et al. (2003) conducted an in-depth analysis of previous
empirical research involving cues of deception, including verbal,
non-verbal, and paralinguistic. They used an analytical tool called
meta-analysis in which results from a number of studies of the same
behavioral deception cue are combined to provide a “best estimate”
(also termed effect-size) of the relationship. The effect size (‘d’) can be
tested for both statistical significance and the presence of moderator
variables which might condition (further explain) observed relationships. For example, consider the deception cue, “providing details.”
According to the theoretical underpinnings of the Reid Technique,
when asked about a situation involving a crime, a deceptive individual would be motivated to provide less detail. This way, the individu [