Minimising extraneous interviewer-based interrogative suggestibility

Previous work has established that interviewer demeanour can distort interviewee performance on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales (GSS). The present study assesses the effect of reducing interpersonal interaction in the GSS procedure. Interviewees' interrogative suggestibility (IS) scores obtained under four conditions were compared with established norms for the scales to identify the method most likely to reduce the effects of interpersonal factors when using the scales. The findings suggest ways in which the effects of interviewer demeanour on IS may be reduced. The potential usefulness of adopting new procedures for administering the GSSs is discussed, as is the potential for developing a computerized format for the GSSs.