Observing rapport-based interpersonal techniques to gather information from victims.

Abstract

The observing rapport-based interpersonal techniques (ORBIT) behavioral coding manual (Alison, Alison, Noone, Eltnib, & Christiansen, 2013) was used to code 103 hr of investigative interviews with sexual offense victims—a sample of 86 single-victim cases conducted by 26 police interviewers in South Korea. In all cases, there was a subsequent conviction. ORBIT is comprised of two key psychological approaches previously used most often in counseling but applied here to law enforcement. These are (a) humanistic approaches that are honest, empathic and nonjudgmental and (b) an interpersonal behavior circle of dyadic interaction between interviewer and victim based on power-submission and conflict-cooperation dimensions, which can be managed in a prosocial (adaptive) or antisocial (maladaptive) way by the interviewer. Information/evidence yield was coded as a dependent variable. Coding was conducted every 15 min, representing 316 coding units. Results showed that (a) humanistic approaches positively influence adaptive interactions between interviewer and victim while simultaneously reducing maladaptive ones, the consequence of which is an increase in yield; (b) interviewer adaptive behaviors directly increase victim adaptive behavior (with the same effect for maladaptive behavior); and (c) victim adaptive behavior is positively associated with interview yield, and victim maladaptive behavior is negatively associated with it. These results suggest that interviews conducted in a humanistic-consistent fashion strongly positively influence adaptive victim behavior, which, in turn, increases interview yield.