The impact of alertness vs. fatigue on interrogators in an actigraphic study of field investigations
Abstract Investigative interviews (e.g., interrogations) are a critical component of criminal, military, and civil investigations. However, how levels of alertness (vs. sleepiness) of the interviewer impact outcomes of actual interviews is unknown. To this end, the current study tracked daily fluctu...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Nature Portfolio
2023-04-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-32975-w |
| _version_ | 1827966303538774016 |
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| author | Zlatan Krizan Anthony J. Miller Christian A. Meissner Matthew Jones |
| author_facet | Zlatan Krizan Anthony J. Miller Christian A. Meissner Matthew Jones |
| author_sort | Zlatan Krizan |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Investigative interviews (e.g., interrogations) are a critical component of criminal, military, and civil investigations. However, how levels of alertness (vs. sleepiness) of the interviewer impact outcomes of actual interviews is unknown. To this end, the current study tracked daily fluctuations in alertness among professional criminal investigators to predict their daily experiences with actual field interviews. Fifty law-enforcement investigators wore a sleep-activity tracker for two weeks while keeping a daily-diary of investigative interviews conducted in the field. For each interview, the investigators indicated how well they established rapport with the subject, how much resistance they encountered, how well they maintained their own focus and composure, and the overall utility of intelligence obtained. Daily alertness was biomathematically modeled from actigraphic sleep duration and continuity estimates and used to predict interview characteristics. Investigators consistently reported more difficulties maintaining their focus and composure as well as encountering more subject resistance during interviews on days with lower alertness. Better interview outcomes were also reported on days with subjectively better sleep, while findings were generally robust to inclusion of covariates. The findings implicate adequate sleep as a modifiable fitness factor for collectors of human intelligence. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:46:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-12d49250684e4ef5b8bd68f9c9840268 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-09T17:46:45Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-12d49250684e4ef5b8bd68f9c98402682023-04-16T11:14:01ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222023-04-011311910.1038/s41598-023-32975-wThe impact of alertness vs. fatigue on interrogators in an actigraphic study of field investigationsZlatan Krizan0Anthony J. Miller1Christian A. Meissner2Matthew Jones3Department of Psychology, Iowa State UniversityDepartment of Psychology, Iowa State UniversityDepartment of Psychology, Iowa State UniversityEvocavi, LLCAbstract Investigative interviews (e.g., interrogations) are a critical component of criminal, military, and civil investigations. However, how levels of alertness (vs. sleepiness) of the interviewer impact outcomes of actual interviews is unknown. To this end, the current study tracked daily fluctuations in alertness among professional criminal investigators to predict their daily experiences with actual field interviews. Fifty law-enforcement investigators wore a sleep-activity tracker for two weeks while keeping a daily-diary of investigative interviews conducted in the field. For each interview, the investigators indicated how well they established rapport with the subject, how much resistance they encountered, how well they maintained their own focus and composure, and the overall utility of intelligence obtained. Daily alertness was biomathematically modeled from actigraphic sleep duration and continuity estimates and used to predict interview characteristics. Investigators consistently reported more difficulties maintaining their focus and composure as well as encountering more subject resistance during interviews on days with lower alertness. Better interview outcomes were also reported on days with subjectively better sleep, while findings were generally robust to inclusion of covariates. The findings implicate adequate sleep as a modifiable fitness factor for collectors of human intelligence.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-32975-w |
| spellingShingle | Zlatan Krizan Anthony J. Miller Christian A. Meissner Matthew Jones The impact of alertness vs. fatigue on interrogators in an actigraphic study of field investigations Scientific Reports |
| title | The impact of alertness vs. fatigue on interrogators in an actigraphic study of field investigations |
| title_full | The impact of alertness vs. fatigue on interrogators in an actigraphic study of field investigations |
| title_fullStr | The impact of alertness vs. fatigue on interrogators in an actigraphic study of field investigations |
| title_full_unstemmed | The impact of alertness vs. fatigue on interrogators in an actigraphic study of field investigations |
| title_short | The impact of alertness vs. fatigue on interrogators in an actigraphic study of field investigations |
| title_sort | impact of alertness vs fatigue on interrogators in an actigraphic study of field investigations |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-32975-w |
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