Free Narrative
Definition
The uninterrupted portion of an interview in which the subject recounts events in their own words and order. Research consistently shows that free narrative produces more accurate information than direct questioning, because the subject is not led by the interviewer's framing.
- Setting
- Investigative and forensic interviewing
- Interviewer role
- Minimal interruption, no leading framing
- Evidence base
- Consistently more accurate than direct questioning
- Common technique pairing
- Cognitive Interview, PEACE model
Common questions
Why does free narrative produce more accurate accounts than direct questioning?+
Direct questions impose the interviewer's assumptions about what happened and can introduce suggestion, particularly with leading or closed questions. Letting the subject structure the account in their own words avoids that contamination and tends to surface details the interviewer would not have thought to ask about.
Does free narrative replace follow-up questioning entirely?+
No. It is typically the opening phase, followed by open-ended probing on the topics the subject raised, with specific or closed questions reserved for the end so they do not shape the earlier, less contaminated parts of the account.
Related terms
- Behavior Analysis Interview (BAI)
- An interview technique developed by John Reid that involves a structured diagnostic question sequence and claims to differentiate truthful from deceptive subjects...
- Cognitive Interview
- A structured witness interview technique developed by Geiselman and Fisher that uses four retrieval aids: mental reinstatement of context, reporting everything without...
- Cognitive Load
- The mental effort required to process and respond. Some interview approaches deliberately increase cognitive load on the basis that maintaining a fabricated...
- PEACE Model
- A structured interview framework used by UK law enforcement and increasingly by private investigators: Preparation and Planning, Engage and Explain, Account, Closure,...
- Reid Technique
- The dominant North American police interrogation method developed by John E. Reid and Fred Inbau (1962; 5th edition 2013). Characterised by a...