Baseline Changes

Hey, just a quick reminder on identifying a subjects baseline during an investigative interview. During a recent interview I conducted regarding a suspicious injury on an individual living within a group home, I asked one of the staff members if they ever saw the person injure themselves. They said "no". I then asked if they ever saw another staff member or anyone else injure the person. They said "no". (Note: As far as that last question, I should have broken it into two questions, one about any other staff and one about any other person.) I then asked if they ever injured the person. There was about a 3 to 5 second pause, the staff looked up and to their left, then up and to their right, then said "Ummmm, no...no...ummmm, (pause)...no."

I asked the same series of questions to other staff members and each has simple, clear, direct and reliable denials, which were consistent throughout the interview and with their baselines. This one did not. I have more interviews to do and then follow-up interviews as well, so we will see how this pans out!

I just wanted to pass that along as a quick reminder...establish the baseline of the person you are talking with and look for any deviations. This is a big part of our BELIEF Interviewing model as well.