Cognitive Investigative Interviews
Program
Whether management or labor, organizations are frequently required to conduct investigations. One of the primary tasks is to interview witnesses. Research since 1985 has suggested that the standard interview process most often utilized for that purpose provides less valid information than what is now termed “the cognitive interview.”
According to one source: The Cognitive Interview is a questioning technique…to enhance retrieval of information…from the eyewitnesses and victims (sic) memory… …(T)here are a number of ways that these memories can be accessed. The cognitive interview exploits this by using multiple retrieval strategies.
The program will explore the concept of the cognitive interview, discuss the tools investigators can use to execute it effectively, and provide examples of its application within investigative process.
Date
Wednesday, December 2, 2026
Speaker
Antone Aboud, Ph.D. is a Professor of Practice at the School of Labor and Employment Relations at Penn State. He is School’s Director of Online Programs. In that capacity he is not only involved in the daily management of the online programs, but also actively involved in course creation and revision processes.
Antone received a B.A. degree in Government from Cornell University, and a Ph.D. in Collective Bargaining, Labor Law and Labor History from the ILR School at Cornell. Originally, he worked full-time in SUNY’s Office of Faculty and Staff relations, became a faculty member at SUNY (Utica/Rome and Potsdam) and then at St. Francis College. In those capacities he taught Labor Relations, HR Management, Labor Law, Management Theory and Organizational Behavior. He also served as a labor arbitrator for several years, and as a chief labor negotiator for both unions and employers. For more than two decades he was a full-time management consultant specializing in risk management training and related interventions.
Agenda
5:00 p.m. – Social
6:00 p.m. – Dinner
6:30 p.m. — Program
Description of the Standard Interview Process
Definition of the Cognitive Interview Process
Relevant Analogies: e.g., “slicing the bologna”
How to Teach the Process
Examples of the Application of the Process to an Investigation
7:30 p.m. – Adjournment
Location
Stancato’s Restaurant & Lounge in Parma
7380 State Road
MCLE’s
SHRM/HRCI Recertification Credits: Approval pending; MCLEs provided
Cost, Registration, and Payment
Cost is $40 per ticket. Register below, and you can pay online now, or indicate that you will pay by check, by either mailing your payment or bringing your payment to the event.
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