Children as Witnesses

Question 1

What are four factors that led to a renewed interest in child witnessing?

Answer 1

i. Expert psychological testimony became more acceptable
ii. Research came out that could be applied to real-world problems
iii. Studies in adult eyewitness increased
iv. The legal community became interested in behavioural science research regarding child witnesses

Question 2

What are three guidelines for interviewing preschool children?

Answer 2

1. Child must be able to engage in verbal conversation
2. The child must be at least 3 years old
3. The crime must have occurred after the child was 2 years old

Question 3

What is important to remember about childhood memory? (bad pun)

Answer 3

Young children can remember events, even though the same child at 18 won’t, even after an extended period of time (months to years)

Question 4

How do visual retrieval aids impact child interview?

Answer 4

They get better results when questioned

Question 5

What are two important considerations of language development when interviewing children

Answer 5

1. The verbal report of the event is frozen in time

2. Use “wh” questions instead of Y/N

Question 6

What is meant by “Verbal report of event is frozen in time”?

Answer 6

i. Children do not use words that were not part of their productive vocabulary at time of event during later recall

Question 7

What is the error rate of bizarre Y/N questions? “Wh” questions?

Answer 7

30%, 10%

Question 8

What is a script? How does it impact an interview with a child?

Answer 8

What will usually happen in a given situation

If one part of script didn’t happen in an event, the child will still report it happening

Question 9

How can the child’s use of scripts be compensated for during an interview?

Answer 9

Use recognition format of interview

Question 10

What are two factors influencing the suggestibility of a child during an interview?

Answer 10

Social compliance

Changes to the cognitive system of the child

Question 11

Define social compliance of the child during an interview

Answer 11

Respond and cooperate to adults, even if they don’t understand the question

Question 12

At early ages, experience of a friend may be incorporated into their own experience. What type of factor is this?

Answer 12

Changes to the cognitive system

Question 13

When the child has to recall the culprit, what is a “fortunate” aspect of most cases?

Answer 13

the culprit is someone the child already knows

Question 14

How many descriptors can young children recall? What is the most common?

Answer 14

Can only recall on average one descriptor

The most common one is hair color.

Question 15

In the Sam Stone experiment, what group had the most accurate recall of Sam?

Answer 15

the control

Question 16

In the Sam stone experiment, what group had the least accurate recall of Sam?

Answer 16

Stereotype + Suggestion group

Question 17

In a forensic setting multiple interviews with a child produce successful results.

Answer 17

False. Try to limit interviews. Have social worker, attorney etc present at the same time.

Question 18

Young children tend to report very little with a free narrative approach.

Answer 18

True

Question 19

Older children are more suggestible than younger children

Answer 19

False

Question 20

Older children are more suggestible than adults.

Answer 20

True

Question 21

Children do not tend to misattribute where the information they remember came from

Answer 21

False.

Question 22

Three developmental factors in children memory and recall.

Answer 22

1. Memory development
2. Language development
3. Conceptual development

Question 23

Considerations about child memory development

Answer 23

1. Childhood amnesia

2. Visual retrieval aids

Question 24

Considerations about child conceptual development

Answer 24

Young children rely strongly on scripts in their recall.

Question 25

Leading cause of death in abused infants.

Answer 25

Head trauma in infants under 5 due to Shaken Baby Syndrome

Question 26

Perpetrators of Shaken Baby Syndrome

Answer 26

Mostly men 70 - 80% of the time