Date
5-23-2025
Department
School of Communication and the Arts
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy in Communication (PhD)
Chair
Wesley W. Hartley
Keywords
Investigative interview, interrogation, communication, psychology, criminal justice, interdisciplinary, qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS)
Disciplines
Communication | Criminology and Criminal Justice | Psychology
Recommended Citation
Heller, Erica N., "Illuminating the Communication Analysis of Investigative Interviews and Interrogations: An Interdisciplinary Qualitative Interpretive Meta-Synthesis" (2025). Doctoral Dissertations and Projects. 6986.
https://digitalcommons.liberty.edu/doctoral/6986
Abstract
This dissertation explores communication in investigative interviews and interrogations through a qualitative interpretive meta-synthesis (QIMS) across the three disciplines of communication, psychology, and criminal justice. This investigation was guided by two research questions: identifying communication themes in investigative contexts and examining the variations in how the disciplines approach investigative interviews and interrogations. Through the utilization of the QIMS method, this study investigated and analyzed interdisciplinary artifacts from academic and professional (gray) literature. This resulted in the discovery of two key themes, confession-focused goals and inconsistent terminology, and three sub-themes: interviewee focus, siloed mindset, and individualized methodological focus. The findings of this research shine a light on the interdisciplinary disconnects and fragmented approaches, signifying the need for a framework that is interdisciplinary and comprehensive. Future research recommendations stemming from the literature on investigative interviews and interrogations include, but are not limited to, collaborative, interdisciplinary research and practical applications to further develop a unified understanding and methods.
