Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, United Kingdom.
PLoS One. 2020 Nov 12;15(11):e0241683. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0241683. eCollection 2020.
Emerging research on how suspects perceive the physical environment during investigative interviews yields contrasting findings. While previous studies have suggested that a room made to be physically comfortable may be optimal for interviewing suspects, another study found it can instead lead to higher suspicion of the investigator's intentions. The current study examined current detainees' and general population participants' beliefs about a room that resembled a "typical" interview room, and one decorated to be warm, inviting, and comfortable. Participants also provided descriptive information about their perceptions of police interview environments (e.g., preferences, expectations). We hypothesized that the decorated room would elicit higher ratings of suspicion and wariness compared to the "typical" room. Our findings showed that, overall, participants expected to be interviewed in the "typical" room but preferred the decorated one. Contrary to our expectations, they rated the "typical" room higher on feelings of suspicion than the decorated room. The decorated room also corresponded with what participants reported to be an environment that promotes disclosure. These results bode well for conducting investigative interviews in comfortable environments.
新兴研究探讨了嫌疑人在调查面谈期间如何感知物理环境，得出了相互矛盾的发现。虽然之前的研究表明，为面谈嫌疑人而营造的舒适的房间可能是最佳选择，但另一项研究发现，这反而可能导致嫌疑人更高地怀疑调查员的意图。本研究调查了当前被拘留者和普通人群参与者对类似于“典型”面谈室的房间的看法，以及一个装修得温馨、舒适的房间。参与者还提供了有关他们对警察面谈环境的看法的描述性信息（例如，偏好、期望）。我们假设，与“典型”房间相比，装修过的房间会引起更高的怀疑和警惕评分。我们的研究结果表明，总体而言，参与者期望在“典型”房间接受面谈，但更喜欢装修过的房间。与我们的预期相反，他们对“典型”房间的怀疑感评分高于装修过的房间。装修过的房间也符合参与者所报告的促进披露的环境。这些结果预示着在舒适的环境中进行调查面谈是可行的。
