Ronald P. Fisher is a psychological researcher who is best known for his work on developing the cognitive interview technique.Geiselman, R. E., Fisher, R. P., MacKinnon, D. P., & Holland, H. L. (1986). Enhancement of Eyewitness Memory with the Cognitive Interview. The American Journal of Psychology, 99(3), 385–401. https://doi.org/10.2307/1422492Brock, P., P, R., Fisher, & Cutler, B. L. (1999). Examining the cognitive interview in a double-test paradigm. Psychology, Crime & Law, 5(1–2), 29–45. https://doi.org/10.1080/10683169908414992 Fisher is also widely known for his research on the theoretical and applied aspects of memoryFlorida International University Discovery. (n.d.). Fisher, Ronald. https://discovery.fiu.edu/display/person-fisherronald-philip and his research on lie detection. He is a professor of psychology at Florida International University, which is located in Miami, Florida. At the time of this article Fisher has been cited on Researchgate over 12,000 times with over 146,000 reads.
Education Ronald Fisher received his Ph.D. in psychology from Ohio State University. Since then, he has served in academic roles at both the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Toronto.
Career
Academic positions Fisher is currently a professor of psychology at Florida International University, but has previously been employed by both UCLA and the University of Toronto.
Community outreach Fisher has worked closely with many notable agencies, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the National Transportation Safety Board. He has conducted workshops at both of these agencies regarding the cognitive interview technique.
In addition to these organizations, Fisher has also worked extensively with both domestic and international agencies including the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA), the United States Army, the United States Navy, the Israeli Air Force, the British police,Noon, E. (1993). An investigation of eyewitness memory and the cognitive interview (Order No. U052394). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global. (301444670). https://marymountuniv.idm.oclc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/investigation-eyewitness-memory-cognitive/docview/301444670/se-2 and the Australian police in order to help expand the use of the cognitive interview technique.
Editorial work Fisher is an editor of the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition.Fisher, R. (2012). Editorial.Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition, 1(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jarmac.2012.01.001 He was also previously a member of the Planning and Technical Working Groups of the United States Department of Justice. While on this committee, he was tasked with developing the national guidelines for collecting eyewitness evidence.
Research Fisher's main research focus has been helping develop the cognitive interview technique. The cognitive interview technique is widely used in law enforcement, as this technique is aimed at increasing eyewitness recall. Fisher has collaborated with numerous other prominent psychologists when developing the cognitive interview technique, including R. Edward Geiselman.Geiselman, R. E., Fisher, R. P., MacKinnon, D. P., & Holland, H. L. (1985). Eyewitness memory enhancement in the police interview: Cognitive retrieval mnemonics versus hypnosis.Journal of Applied Psychology, 70(2), 401–412. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.70.2.401 This technique was fully introduced in a book the two co-authored titled Memory Enhancing Technique for Investigative Interviewing: The Cognitive Interview. He has also worked with a number of other well known psychologists regarding other topics including Aldert Vrij and Sharon Leal.
This specialized interview technique is designed to facilitate a more comprehensive and reliable memory recall, all while making sure to decrease the likelihood of producing false information. The cognitive interview works by having the eyewitness first reinstate the context that they were in when they witnessed the crime happen. The interview questions are then asked in varying order, so that as much memory interference is prevented as possible. Another key aspect of this technique is asking the eyewitness to describe the crime from different viewpoints, so that the eyewitness is able to create as complete of a report as possible. Fisher and Geiselman have compared this interviewing technique with other methods such as hypnosis, and have found that its results are extremely comparable.
The cognitive interview technique is steadily growing in popularity throughout the United States, and even internationally as well.Bull, R., Paulo, R., & Albuquerque, P. (2019). The impact of the cognitive interview in the UK and Portugal: Recent research. In Advances in Psychology and Law (pp. 21–37). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315160276-2 Fisher has hosted various workshops with agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, National Aeronautics and Space Association, and the Department of Justice. In addition, Fisher has also collaborated with police departments in Britain, the Air Force in Israel, and police departments in Australia to educate them on the cognitive interview technique.
The cognitive interview technique has been applied to many important contexts outside of forensic settings. Some examples include palliative care,Schildmann EK, Groeneveld EI, Denzel J, et al. Discovering the hidden benefits of cognitive interviewing in two languages: The first phase of a validation study of the Integrated Palliative care Outcome Scale. Palliative Medicine. 2016;30(6):599-610. doi:10.1177/0269216315608348 intellectual disability,Milne, R., Sharman, S. J., Powell, M. B., & Mead, S. (2013). Assessing the Effectiveness of the Cognitive Interview for Children with Severe Intellectual Disabilities. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 60(1), 18–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/1034912X.2013.757137 and gerontology.Wright, A. M., & Holliday, R. E. (2007). Enhancing the recall of young, young–old and old–old adults with cognitive interviews. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 21(1), 19-43. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.1260
In addition to the research done on the cognitive interview and interviewing witnesses,Fisher, R., Compo, N., Rivard, J., & Hirn, D. (2014). Interviewing witnesses. In The SAGE Handbook of Applied Memory (pp. 559-578). SAGE Publications Ltd, https://doi.org/10.4135/9781446294703 Fisher has also assisted with copious research on verbal deception detection,Vrij, A., Fisher, R. P., & Leal, S. (2022). How researchers can make verbal lie detection more attractive for practitioners. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 30(3), 383–396. https://doi.org/10.1080/13218719.2022.2035842Vrij, A., Leal, S., & Fisher, R. P. (2023). Interviewing to Detect Lies About Opinions: The Devil's Advocate Approach. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 10(12), 245–252. https://doi.org/10.14738/assrj.1012.16027Leal, S., Vrij, A., Deeb, H., & Fisher, R. P. (2023). Interviewing to detect omission lies. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 37(1), 26–41. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.4020Vrij, A., Fisher, R.P. and Blank, H. (2017), A cognitive approach to lie detection: A meta-analysis. Leg Crim Psychol, 22: 1-21. https://doi.org/10.1111/lcrp.12088 which is more commonly known as lie detection. More specifically, Fisher examines how concepts such as cognitive load and nonverbal communication are related to detecting deception.
Fisher has 164 publications many of which are accessible on websites such as APA.org, sagehub.com, Wiley.com, and Researchgate.net. Many of his publications focus on the aspects of memory. He has contributed to several publications that cover the validity of lie detection methods used by law enforcement including a publication over the efficacy of SCAN. His most cited publications revolve around the detection of deception which include: Increasing Cognitive Load to Facilitate Lie Detection: The Benefit of Recalling an Event in Reverse Order, Detecting Deception by Manipulating Cognitive Load, and Outsmarting the Liars: The Benefits of Asking Unanticipated Questions.
Books
Fisher, R. P., Geiselman, R. E. (1992). Memory-Enhancing Techniques for Investigative Interviewing: The Cognitive Interview. United States: Thomas.Fisher, R. P., Geiselman, R. E. (1992). Memory-enhancing Techniques for Investigative Interviewing: The Cognitive Interview. United States: Thomas.
References
External links
Faculty homepage at Florida International University ResearchGate Profile Research.com Profile Former Students (PsycTree)