The Hunt for Non-Barking Dogs and Other Curiosities: Identifying and Managing Anomaly Within Forensic Interviews

Abstract

Purposeful conversation—interviewing—is a core activity for forensic practitioners. It is fundamental to investigation, assessment, decision-making, and action. This contribution seeks to enhance practitioner performance in the identification and management of anomaly occurring within forensic interviews, and the clinical context in particular. A review of anomaly in conversation precedes an examination of anomaly occurring at points across the course of a conversation that the professional manages to achieve an investigative aim by introducing, or responding to, specific issues or topics. Termed hot spots the occurrence of verbal anomaly, nonverbal anomaly, or both evidence the sensitivity of the topic or issue. A number of practitioner aids are presented: a framework for identifying and managing verbal anomaly in interviews; a framework for initial assessment and subsequent monitoring of an interviewee’s nonverbal behavior; and conversation management techniques aimed at maximizing interviewee disclosure, the interviewee’s occupancy of the talking turn, and the practitioner’s potential to apply the two frameworks for monitoring anomaly to enable the detection of hot spots that require timely probing.