Fiona Gabbert

Fiona Gabbert
OccupationProfessor
Academic background
Alma materUniversity of Aberdeen
Academic work
DisciplineForensic Psychology
Sub-discipline
Reliability of memory and forensic interviewing
InstitutionsGoldsmiths, University of London

Fiona Gabbert is a forensic psychologist who focuses on the reliability of memory and investigative interviewing. Her research is used to shape police procedure and policy internationally.[1] She is the Director of the Forensic and Psychology Unit and Professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London, and a chairperson on the Scientific Committee of the International Investigative Interviewing Research Group (illRG).[1]

Education

Gabbert attended the University of Aberdeen where she received her PhD in psychology.[2]

Career

After graduating from the University of Aberdeen, she was a Reader in Psychology for Abertay University.[3] As of 2026, she is a professor of Psychology at Goldsmiths, University of London and is working with Amber Alert Europe and the National Crime Agency, and the International Cold Case Analysis Project.[1][4][5][6][7] In these partnerships, she is advancing ethical interviewing and applying psychological science to aid new leads in missing person cases.[1][5][6][7]

Awards and accolades

In 2011, Gabbert was the winner of the Academic and Practitioner Excellence Award from International Investigative Interviewing Research.[8][4] In 2016, Gabbert was the winner of the European Association of Psychology and Law prize for mid-career achievement.[9]

Community engagement

As the Director of the Forensic and Psychology Unit (FPU) at Goldsmiths, University of London, Gabbert hosts many events with the goal to educate the public.[1] One main way she educates the community, and the FPU engages with the public, is through the FPU's immersive, award-winning, and educational theatre events.[1] These event, in particular, have compelled people outside of the Goldsmiths' community to come and engage with psychology.[1] Other events include lectures, school events, festivals, panels, seminars, and more.[1] For certain organizations, Gabbert gives seminars and research consultancy. Finally, Gabbert has also been known to engage with the media via interviews.[1][10][11]

Research

Gabbert's main research interests include eyewitness memory, investigative Interviewing, facilitating recall, building trust and rapport, suggestibility of memory, social influences on memory, and memory conformity.[1][12][13][14][15][16] In some of her research, she specifically investigates questions such as "can we accurately interpret the dynamic behavior of others?".[17] Gabbert also investigates the value and challenges of age progression and potential bias' or factors that lead to an overrepresentation of ethnic minority background in missing persons cases.[18][19] Gabbert's most cited article on research gate is "Memory conformity: Can Eyewitnesses Influence Each Other's Memories for an Event?". This article discusses how individuals influence each others recall of an event.[12]

Gabbert's research on improving usability, creditability, and reliability of evidence from witnesses has helped introduce new evidence based investigative tools and training resources to the field, such as the Self-Administrated Interview, Structured Interview Protocol, and the Timeline Technique.[1] The Self-Administrative interview is a tool that is used right after someone witnesses a crime. The witness does the Self-Administrative Interview as soon as possible to make sure to relay the most accurate information. The SAI (Self-Administrative Interview) provides witnesses with clear instructions and retrieval cues.[20] This tool is used globally and by police officers.[21] The Structured Interview Protocol promotes new ethical practices that help officers elicit information from witnesses, victims, and suspects.[22] The Timeline Technique helps interviewees organize their own recall of an event in a sequential manner. It is self-administered and typically yields better detail of an event according to Crest Research.[23] Furthermore, through Crest Research, Gabbert developed an evidence-based training program regarding rapport within an information gathering context, and specifically whether individuals can be trained in their own rapport skills.[24]

Books

  • Ridley, Anne; Gabbert, Fiona; and La Rooy, David, eds. 2013. Suggestibility in Legal Contexts: Psychological Research and Forensic Implications. London: Wiley-Blackwell.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Professor Fiona Gabbert". Goldsmiths, University of London. Retrieved 2026-02-18.
  2. ↑ "Fiona GABBERT | PhD University of Aberdeen | Goldsmiths University of London, London | Department of Psychology | Research profile". ResearchGate. Archived from the original on 2026-03-10. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
  3. ↑ Ridley, Anne M.; Gabbert, Fiona; La Rooy, David J., eds. (2013-01-14). Suggestibility in Legal Contexts: Psychological Research and Forensic Implications (1 ed.). Wiley. doi:10.1002/9781118432907. ISBN 978-0-470-66369-1.
  4. 1 2 "Chemical Manufacturing - Jupiter X Templates". Self Administered Interview - SAI. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
  5. 1 2 "AMBER Alert Europe Launches First-Ever Scientific Advisory Board on Missing Persons - AMBER Alert Europe". www.amberalert.eu. 2025-07-28. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  6. 1 2 "Downloads - National Crime Agency". www.nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  7. 1 2 Toolin, Katie; van Langeraad, Amy; Hoi, Viktoria; Scott, Adrian J.; Gabbert, Fiona (2022-01-01). "Psychological contributions to cold case investigations: A systematic review". Forensic Science International: Synergy. 5 100294. doi:10.1016/j.fsisyn.2022.100294. ISSN 2589-871X. PMC 9708607. PMID 36465483.
  8. ↑ "iIIRG AWARDS – IIIRG – International Investigative Interviewing Research Group". iiirg.org. Archived from the original on 2023-06-27. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
  9. ↑ Cox, Sarah (2016-07-12). "Forensic Psychology Unit director's career recognised with European award". Goldsmiths, University of London. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
  10. ↑ "Forensic Psychology Unit Interactive Events". Goldsmiths, University of London. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
  11. ↑ "Join Us for "Missing Without a Trace" - An Evening of Cold Case Investigation — Locate International". Locate International. Retrieved 2026-03-25.
  12. 1 2 "Memory Conformity: Can Eyewitnesses Influence Each Other's Memories for an Event?". ResearchGate. Archived from the original on 2025-11-24. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  13. ↑ Farrugia, Laura; Gabbert, Fiona (2019-11-18). "Vulnerable suspects in police interviews: Exploring current practice in England and Wales". Journal of Investigative Psychology and Offender Profiling. 17 (1): 17–30. doi:10.1002/jip.1537. ISSN 1544-4759. Archived from the original on 2024-06-21.
  14. ↑ Gabbert, Fiona; Hope, Lorraine; Luther, Kirk; Wright, Gordon; Ng, Magdalene; Oxburgh, Gavin (March 2021). "Exploring the use of rapport in professional information-gathering contexts by systematically mapping the evidence base". Applied Cognitive Psychology. 35 (2): 329–341. doi:10.1002/acp.3762. ISSN 0888-4080.
  15. ↑ Gabbert, Fiona; Memon, Amina; Allan, Kevin; Wright, Daniel B. (September 2004). "Say it to my face: Examining the effects of socially encountered misinformation". Legal and Criminological Psychology. 9 (2): 215–227. doi:10.1348/1355325041719428. ISSN 1355-3259.
  16. ↑ Gabbert, Fiona; Memon, Amina; Wright, Daniel B. (2006-06-01). "Memory conformity: Disentangling the steps toward influence during a discussion". Psychonomic Bulletin & Review. 13 (3): 480–485. doi:10.3758/BF03193873. ISSN 1531-5320. PMID 17048734.
  17. ↑ Toolin, Katie; Gabbert, Fiona; Scott, Adrian J. (January 2026). "What Works in Behavioural Recognition? A Systematic Review". Applied Cognitive Psychology. 40 (1) e70153. doi:10.1002/acp.70153. ISSN 0888-4080.
  18. ↑ Donato, Laura; Treglia, Michele; Cecchi, Rossana; Ubelaker, Douglas H.; Camatti, Jessika; Gabbert, Fiona; Pallocci, Margherita; Santunione, Anna Laura; Marsella, Luigi T. (April 2026). "Forensic age progression for missing person investigations: A pilot evaluation of recognition accuracy". Legal Medicine. 82 102808. doi:10.1016/j.legalmed.2026.102808. hdl:11380/1402710. ISSN 1344-6223. PMID 41687395.
  19. ↑ Gabbert, Fiona; Scott, Adrian J.; Shalev, Karen; van Langeraad, Amy (2025-11-27). "Disproportion and Decision: Ethnic Minority Overrepresentation and Police Risk Assessment in Missing Persons Cases". Behavioral Sciences. 15 (12): 1628. doi:10.3390/bs15121628. ISSN 2076-328X. PMC 12729343. PMID 41463971.
  20. ↑ Hope, Lorraine; Gabbert, Fiona; Fisher, Ronald P. (2011-06-16). "From laboratory to the street: Capturing witness memory using the Self-Administered Interview". Legal and Criminological Psychology. 16 (2): 211–226. doi:10.1111/j.2044-8333.2011.02015.x. ISSN 1355-3259. Archived from the original on 2025-06-10.
  21. ↑ "SAI - Self Administered Interview". Self Administered Interview - SAI. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  22. ↑ "Promoting justice: Professionalising frontline policing with an evidence-based Structured Interview Protocol". Royal Holloway Research Portal. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  23. ↑ Hope, Lorraine. "A timeline helps interviewees recall and report events". crestresearch.ac.uk. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
  24. ↑ "Quantifying the effectiveness of an evidence-based rapport-building training programme". www.crestresearch.ac.uk. Retrieved 2026-03-30.
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