The development of the rapport scales for investigative interviews and interrogations

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to develop the Rapport Scales for Investigative Interviews and Interrogations (RS3i), a measure of rapport for use in the context of investigative interviews and interrogations. Eighty "source" participants were interviewed by 80 "interview" participants. Each source rated the interview using the Prototype RS3i-Source Version. Observer participants each viewed and rated two interviews. Exploratory analyses were done on 374 observer ratings of 20 interviews to explore the factor structure of the items and develop the final scales. The final version of the RS3i contained 32 items comprising 8 rapport scales and one Commitment to Communication scale. The internal reliability of these scales was determined to be adequate. The validity of the scales was examined using 80 source ratings and a second sample of 246 observer ratings. Limited evidence of validity was found. The scales are recommended as a starting point for future research and training in building rapport during investigative interviews.