Educing Information: Interrogation - National Intelligence University

on “interests.” In the parlance of modern negotiation theory, a position is what
negotiators say they want, while an interest is what they really want.
Negotiation theory centers on how people arrive at a solution rather than
which solution they choose. It identifies three overarching stances or strategies.
The first is a distributive strategy in which the negotiator’s objective is to get all
he/she can, regardless of equity or the perceptions of the other party(ies). Using
the common “pie” metaphor, the goal is to get the whole pie or at least most of it.
A second approach uses an integrative strategy, where the goal is to identify and
implement solutions that meet the needs of all parties in the negotiation, often
by not quibbling over the distribution of a particular limited resource but instead
finding ways beyond that resource to meet each party’s needs. This is referred
to as “creating value,” or, metaphorically, “expanding the pie.” The third is a
mixed-motive strategy. As its name implies, it blends the objectives of the other
two approaches: It seeks solutions that serve the needs of as many parties to the
negotiation as possible, but places equally high priority on getting one’s own “fair
share.”
In a position-based negotiation, each party stakes out its objective (or position)
and tries not to retreat from it. The negotiation operates within a distributive
strategy, creating a competitive or adversarial dynamic, with the guiding ethos of
seeking justice. By contrast, interest-based negotiations operate in an integrative
or mixed-motive strategy, creating a collaborative dynamic, with the guiding
ethos of problem solving.
Implications
Among these four theories, persuasive message production seems to provide
unique methodological insights for studying the element of educing information
that involves transactive exchanges of communication between an educer and
source. Negotiation theory, however, seems better suited to identifying principles
and overarching strategies — particularly interest-based stances — that might
frame the overall information gathering process, and to providing language and
perspectives that are not overtly adversarial.
Strategies Affecting Willingness to Provide
Information
Educers of information must be skilled in understanding and applying a
broad range of strategies, approaches, and techniques of persuasion and influence
to gather information from people determined not to give it. Considerable social
science literature on persuasion and influence may be relevant to the development
of processes for educing information. Literally hundreds of researchers have
contributed to the thousands of studies that comprise this body of work. For
example, in the PsycINFO database of psychology publications (which is neither
comprehensive nor exhaustive) between 1967 and mid-2005, the subject heading
for “Persuasive Communication” contains 3,258 entries, the heading for “Attitude
Change” contains 5,559, and the heading for “Interpersonal Influences” contains
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