Educing Information: Interrogation - National Intelligence University

and the suspect’s anxiety to obtain a confession. 139 Thus, according to the Reid
Model, the goal of an interrogation is to “decrease the suspect’s perception of
the consequences of confessing, while at the same time increasing the suspect’s
internal anxiety associated with his deception.” 140 Jayne identifies three basic
concepts relevant to the interrogator’s manipulation of the subject’s perception
of consequences and anxiety: expectancy, persuasion, and belief. 141 Expectancy
refers to “a want or goal perceived as desirable or inevitable.” At the outset of an
interrogation deceptive subjects expect that, if they confess, the consequences (as
they perceive them at that time) are inevitable, and that the most desirable goal
would be not to confess. 142 Persuasion is “a form of communication wherein the
listener’s attitudes, beliefs, or perceptions are changed.” 143 Persuasion can change
expectancies, i.e., a suspect’s view of what is desirable. 144 Belief, in turn, is “the
vehicle of persuasion,” in that a suspect’s beliefs are not fact and are therefore
subject to interpretation and external influence. 145 In this context, an interrogator
must strive to “change the suspect’s perception of the consequences of confessing
or the suspect’s perception of the anxiety associated with deception by influencing
the subject’s beliefs. 146
According to the model, there are four essential criteria for changing the
suspect’s expectancies and beliefs in order to garner a confession.
• First, the subject must perceive the interrogator as a credible source
of information. 147 According to Jayne, credibility is based on sincerity,
knowledge, and demeanor. 148
• Second, the interrogator must develop insight into the subject’s attitudes
and weaknesses. 149 It is particularly important that the interrogator
assess the consequences that the suspect is trying to avoid by denial, and
evaluate the suspect’s ability to tolerate anxiety. 150
• Third, the subject must internalize the interrogator’s suggestion, because
this will change expectancies if the individual can be led to internalize
the interrogator’s message. 151 This involves a three-stage process. 152
• First, the suspect must comprehend the interrogator’s ideas (relating). 153
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