Oral Presentation: Sensemaking and cooperation in investigative interviews: The role of matching

Title: Sensemaking and cooperation in investigative interviews: The role of matching

Abstract:

Theories of interpersonal sensemaking predict that cooperation emerges in interactions where speakers are matched on motivational frame and when they are cooperative rather than competitive in orientation (Taylor, 2002). The current study tested this prediction in an investigative interviewing context. Across two experiments (N = 776), participants took the role of a suspect during an interaction with a ‘police’ interviewer. During the interaction, the suspect and interviewer motivational frames (instrumental, relational, or identity) were either matched or unmatched, and this was done in a cooperative or competitive way (i.e., cooperative interactions being friendly and supportive while competitive interactions being hostile and relatively antagonistic). The results showed that within cooperative orientation interactions, motivational frame matching led to significantly higher willingness to cooperate and greater feelings of being understood by the suspect. In contrast, within competitive orientation interactions, motivational frame matching led to significantly less willingness to cooperate and identification of the suspect with the interviewer.