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Foster I, Talwar V, Crossman A. The role of rapport in eliciting children’s truthful reports. APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE 2022. [DOI: 10.1080/10888691.2022.2058507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
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Tong D, Talwar V. Understanding the development of honesty in children through the
domains‐of‐socialization
approach. INFANT AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/icd.2268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Donia Tong
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology McGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Victoria Talwar
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology McGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
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McWilliams K, Stolzenberg SN, Williams S, Lyon T. Increasing maltreated and nonmaltreated children's recall disclosures of a minor transgression: The effects of back-channel utterances, a promise to tell the truth, and a post-recall putative confession. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2021; 116:104073. [PMID: 31409449 PMCID: PMC10129285 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.104073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2018] [Revised: 05/01/2019] [Accepted: 05/02/2019] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children are often hesitant to disclose transgressions, particularly when they feel implicated, and frequently remain reluctant until confronted with direct questions. Given the risks associated with direct questions, an important issue is how interviewers can encourage honesty through recall questions. OBJECTIVE The present study examined the use of three truth induction strategies for increasing the accuracy and productivity of children's reports about a transgression. PARTICIPANTS A total of 285 4-to-9-year-old maltreated and nonmaltreated children. METHODS Each child took part in a play session with a stranger during which the child appeared to break some toys. A research assistant interviewed the child with narrative practice rapport building and recall questions. The study included manipulations of back-channel utterances (brief expressions used to communicate attention and interest), whether (and when) the child was asked to promise to tell the truth, and the use of a post-recall putative confession. RESULTS Back-channel utterances failed to increase disclosure (OR = 0.79 [95% CI: 0.48, 1.31]) but increased the productivity of children's reports about broken (p = 0.04, ηp = 0.02) and unbroken toys (p = 0.004, ηp = 0.03). A promise to tell the truth significantly increased children's disclosures, but only among nonmaltreated children (OR = 3.65 [95% CI: 1.23, 10.90]). The post-recall putative confession elicited new disclosures from about half of children who had failed to disclose. CONCLUSIONS The findings highlight the difficulties of eliciting honest responses from children about suspected transgressions and the need for flexible questioning strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly McWilliams
- Department of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, 524 West 59th Street, New York, NY 10019, United States.
| | - Stacia N Stolzenberg
- School of Criminology & Criminal Justice, Arizona State University, 411 N. Central Ave., Suite 600, Phoenix, AZ 85004, United States.
| | - Shanna Williams
- Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, 699 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States.
| | - Thomas Lyon
- Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, 699 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States.
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Demedardi MJ, Brechet C, Gentaz E, Monnier C. Prosocial lying in children between 4 and 11 years of age: The role of emotional understanding and empathy. J Exp Child Psychol 2020; 203:105045. [PMID: 33310484 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2020.105045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2020] [Revised: 05/28/2020] [Accepted: 10/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This study examined whether emotional understanding and empathy were predictors of prosocial lying in children aged 4 to 11 years. A total of 144 children participated in the study. To assess children's prosocial lying, we used the Helping Scenario, a classical experimental paradigm that allows children to lie to help others at their own expense. Children's emotional understanding was assessed using the Test of Emotion Comprehension, a test that measures the nine components of emotional understanding. Children's empathy was assessed using the Griffith Empathy Measure, a questionnaire completed by parents that measures affective and cognitive empathy. Results indicated that emotional understanding plays a crucial role in the development of children's ability to produce prosocial lies from 4 to 11 years of age. However, we found no significant relationship between empathy and prosocial lying. Finally, our results confirm that as children grew up, they lied more and more effectively. Overall, the results allow us to better understand the factors that contribute to the emergence and development of children's ability to produce prosocial lies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie-Julie Demedardi
- Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Univ Montpellier, EPSYLON EA 4556, F34000 Montpellier, France
| | - Claire Brechet
- Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Univ Montpellier, EPSYLON EA 4556, F34000 Montpellier, France
| | - Edouard Gentaz
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, University of Geneva, 1205 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Catherine Monnier
- Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Univ Montpellier, EPSYLON EA 4556, F34000 Montpellier, France.
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Magnusson M, Ernberg E, Landström S, Joleby M, Akehurst L. Can rapport building strategies, age, and question type influence preschoolers' disclosures of adult wrongdoing? Scand J Psychol 2020; 61:393-401. [PMID: 32052875 DOI: 10.1111/sjop.12626] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/13/2019] [Accepted: 01/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
In the present experiment, we examined preschoolers' disclosures of a secret as a function of rapport building strategies used in Scandinavian field settings (verbal rapport building vs. prop rapport building), age in months (33-75 months) and question type (open-ended free recall invitation vs. suggestive questions). Fifty-three preschoolers (M = 60.5 months old, SD = 11.4) witnessed a researcher break a toy and were asked to keep the toy breakage a secret. The children were thereafter interviewed about the incident. Overall, 18.9% of the children disclosed the secret after an open-ended free recall invitation. The disclosure rate rose to 83% after the final phase of the interviews when questions containing suggestive details were asked of the children. Notably, we did not observe any significant effects as a function of manipulating rapport building strategy. A linear regression model showed that child age (in months) significantly predicted the amount of reported details, with younger preschoolers reporting fewer details compared to older preschoolers. Age also predicted the amount of correct details, but not the amount of incorrect details. No age differences were found with regard to children's disclosure tendencies or proportion of central details about the secret. Methodological limitations and practical implications will be addressed.
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Evans AD, Lyon TD. The effects of the putative confession and evidence presentation on maltreated and non-maltreated 9- to 12-year-olds' disclosures of a minor transgression. J Exp Child Psychol 2019; 188:104674. [PMID: 31476614 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104674] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2018] [Revised: 07/23/2019] [Accepted: 07/23/2019] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
The current study examined the influence of the putative confession (in which children are told that the suspect told them "everything that happened" and "wants [the child] to tell the truth") and evidence presentation on 9- to 12-year-old maltreated and non-maltreated children's disclosure (N = 321). Half of the children played a forbidden game with an adult confederate that resulted in a laptop computer breaking (no transgression occurred for the other half of the children), followed by coaching to conceal the forbidden game and to falsely disclose the sanctioned game. Children were then interviewed about the interaction with the confederate. Among the 9- and 10-year-olds, the putative confession led to a higher rate of breakage disclosure (62%) than the control condition (13%) and to a higher rate of leakage of incriminating details during recall (47% vs. 9%). Older children were more likely to disclose than younger children and to be uninfluenced by the putative confession. Among all ages, evidence presentation elicited disclosures from 63% of children who had not previously disclosed without eliciting any false disclosures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela D Evans
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario L2S 3A1, Canada.
| | - Thomas D Lyon
- Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
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Evans AD, O'Connor AM, Bruer KC, Price HL. Children who disclose a minor transgression often neglect disclosing secrecy and coaching. JOURNAL OF APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2019.03.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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Price HL, Evans AD, Bruer KC. Transmission of children’s disclosures of a transgression from peers to adults. APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE 2019. [DOI: 10.1080/10888691.2019.1586544] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Heather L. Price
- Department of Psychology, Thompson Rivers University, Kamloops, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Angela D. Evans
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
| | - Kaila C. Bruer
- Ddepartment of Psychology, University of Regina, Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Foster I, Wyman J, Tong D, Colwell K, Talwar V. Does eyewitness and interviewer gender influence children's reports? An experimental analysis of eyewitness and interviewer gender on children's testimony. PSYCHIATRY, PSYCHOLOGY, AND LAW : AN INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND ASSOCIATION OF PSYCHIATRY, PSYCHOLOGY AND LAW 2018; 26:499-519. [PMID: 31984092 PMCID: PMC6762099 DOI: 10.1080/13218719.2018.1507844] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 07/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
This study examines how children's age, gender and interviewer gender affected children's testimony after witnessing a theft. Children (N = 127, age = 6-11 years) witnessed an experimenter (E1) find money, which he/she may/may not have taken. E1 then asked the children to falsely deny that the theft occurred, falsely accuse E1 of taking the money, or tell the truth when interviewed by a second experimenter. Falsely denying or falsely accusing influenced children's forthcomingness and quality of their testimony. When accusing, boys were significantly more willing than girls to disclose about the theft earlier and without being asked directly. When truthfully accusing, children gave lengthier testimony to same-gendered adults. When denying, children were significantly more willing to disclose the theft earlier to male interviewers than to females. As children aged, they were significantly less likely to lie, more likely to disclose earlier when accusing, and give lengthier and more consistent testimony.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ida Foster
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Joshua Wyman
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Donia Tong
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Kevin Colwell
- Department of Psychology, Southern Connecticut State University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Victoria Talwar
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada
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Lavoie J, Talwar V. Care to Share? Children's Cognitive Skills and Concealing Responses to a Parent. Top Cogn Sci 2018; 12:485-503. [DOI: 10.1111/tops.12390] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2018] [Revised: 09/26/2018] [Accepted: 09/26/2018] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Lavoie
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology McGill University
| | - Victoria Talwar
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology McGill University
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Alsaif DM, Almadani OM, Almoghannam SA, Al-Farayedhi MA, Kharoshah MA. Teaching children about self-protection from sexual abuse: could it be a cause for source monitoring errors and fantasy? (Two case reports). EGYPTIAN JOURNAL OF FORENSIC SCIENCES 2018. [DOI: 10.1186/s41935-018-0058-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
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Talwar V, Hubbard K, Saykaly C, Lee K, Lindsay RCL, Bala N. Does parental coaching affect children's false reports? Comparing verbal markers of deception. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW 2018; 36:84-97. [PMID: 29460438 DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2331] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2016] [Revised: 07/29/2017] [Accepted: 01/13/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
The present study examined differences in children's true and false narratives as a function of parental coaching by comparing the verbal markers associated with deception. Children (N = 65, 4-7 years old) played the same game with an adult stranger over three consecutive days. Parents coached their children to falsely allege that they had played a second game and to generate details for the fabricated event. One week after the last play session, children were interviewed about their experiences. For children with the least amount of parental coaching, true and false reports could be distinguished by multiple verbal markers of deception (e.g., cognitive processes, temporal information, self-references). The fabricated reports of children who spent more time being coaching by a parent resembled their truthful reports. These findings have implications for real-world forensic contexts when children have been coached to make false allegations and fabricate information at the behest of a parent.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Talwar
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Kyle Hubbard
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Christine Saykaly
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
| | - Kang Lee
- Dr Eric Jackman Institute of Child Study and Applied Psychology and Human Development Department, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | - R C L Lindsay
- Department of Psychology, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
| | - Nicholas Bala
- Faculty of Law, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada
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The effects of promising to tell the truth, the putative confession, and recall and recognition questions on maltreated and non-maltreated children's disclosure of a minor transgression. J Exp Child Psychol 2017; 166:266-279. [PMID: 28950167 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2017.08.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/02/2017] [Revised: 08/23/2017] [Accepted: 08/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the utility of two interview instructions designed to overcome children's reluctance to disclose transgressions: eliciting a promise from children to tell the truth and the putative confession (telling children that a suspect "told me everything that happened and wants you to tell the truth"). The key questions were whether the instructions increased disclosure in response to recall questions and in response to recognition questions that were less or more explicit about transgressions and whether instructions were differentially effective with age. A total sample of 217 4- to 9-year-old maltreated and comparable non-maltreated children and a stranger played with a set of toys. For half of the children within each group, two of the toys appeared to break while they were playing. The stranger admonished secrecy. Shortly thereafter, children were questioned about what happened in one of three interview conditions. Some children were asked to promise to tell the truth. Others were given the putative confession, and still others received no interview instructions. When coupled with recall questions, the promise was effective at increasing disclosures only among older children, whereas the putative confession was effective regardless of age. Across interview instruction conditions, recognition questions that did not suggest wrongdoing elicited few additional transgression disclosures, whereas recognition questions that explicitly mentioned wrongdoing elicited some true reports but also some false alarms. No differences in disclosure emerged between maltreated and non-maltreated children. Results highlight the potential benefits and limitations of different interviewing approaches when questioning reluctant children.
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Talwar V, Yachison S, Leduc K, Nagar PM. Practice makes perfect? The impact of coaching and moral stories on children’s lie-telling. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT 2017. [DOI: 10.1177/0165025417728583] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
Children ( n = 202; 4 to 7 years old) witnessed a confederate break a toy and were asked to keep the transgression a secret. Children were randomly assigned to a Coaching condition (i.e., No Coaching, Light Coaching, or Heavy Coaching) and a Moral Story condition (i.e., Positive or Neutral). Overall, 89.7% of children lied about the broken toy when asked open-ended questions about the event. During direct questions, children in the Heavy Coaching condition lied more than children in the No Coaching and Light Coaching conditions. Older children were influenced by both Heavy Coaching and Light Coaching, whereas younger children were influenced only by Heavy Coaching. Children in the Positive Story condition were less likely to maintain their lies than those in the Neutral Story condition. An interaction between Coaching and Moral Story conditions influenced lie-maintenance.
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Stolzenberg SN, McWilliams K, Lyon TD. The Effects of the Hypothetical Putative Confession and Negatively Valenced Yes/No Questions on Maltreated and Nonmaltreated Children's Disclosure of a Minor Transgression. CHILD MALTREATMENT 2017; 22:167-173. [PMID: 27753611 PMCID: PMC6336106 DOI: 10.1177/1077559516673734] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the effects of the hypothetical putative confession (telling children "What if I said that [the suspect] told me everything that happened and he said he wants you to tell the truth?") and negatively valenced yes/no questions varying in their explicitness ("Did the [toy] break?" vs. "Did something bad happen to the [toy]?") on two hundred and six 4- to 9-year-old maltreated and nonmaltreated children's reports, half of whom had experienced toy breakage and had been admonished to keep the breakage a secret. The hypothetical putative confession increased the likelihood that children disclosed breakage without increasing false reports. The yes/no questions elicited additional disclosures of breakage but also some false reports. The less explicit questions (referencing "something bad") were as effective in eliciting true reports as the questions explicitly referencing breakage. Pairing affirmative answers to the yes/no questions with recall questions asking for elaboration allowed for better discrimination between true and false reports. The results suggest promising avenues for interviewers seeking to increase true disclosures without increasing false reports.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kelly McWilliams
- Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Thomas D. Lyon
- Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Rush EB, Stolzenberg SN, Quas JA, Lyon TD. The Effects of the Putative Confession and Parent Suggestion on Children's Disclosure of a Minor Transgression. LEGAL AND CRIMINOLOGICAL PSYCHOLOGY 2017; 22:60-73. [PMID: 28286409 PMCID: PMC5342253 DOI: 10.1111/lcrp.12086] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE This study examined the effects of the putative confession (telling the child that an adult "told me everything that happened and he wants you to tell the truth") on children's disclosure of a minor transgression after questioning by their parents. METHODS Children (N = 188; 4 - 7-year-olds) played with a confederate, and while doing so, for half of the children, toys broke. Parents then questioned their children about what occurred, and half of the parents were given additional scripted suggestive questions. Finally, children completed a mock forensic investigative interview. RESULTS Children given the putative confession were 1.6 times more likely in free recall to disclose truthfully that toys had broken. Among children who failed to disclose during free recall, those who received the putative confession were 1.9 times more likely when asked yes/no questions to disclose true breakage. The putative confession did not decrease accuracy, and children who received the putative confession were 2.6 times less likely to report false toy play. Parent suggestion did not adversely affect the efficacy of the putative confession. CONCLUSIONS The current study demonstrates that children are often quite reticent to disclose transgressions, and that the putative confession is a promising avenue for increasing children's comfort with disclosing and minimizing their tendency to report false details, even in the face of suggestive questioning by parents.
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Saykaly C, Crossman A, Talwar V. High Cognitive Load During Cross-Examination: Does It Improve Detection of Children's Truths and Lies? PSYCHIATRY, PSYCHOLOGY, AND LAW : AN INTERDISCIPLINARY JOURNAL OF THE AUSTRALIAN AND NEW ZEALAND ASSOCIATION OF PSYCHIATRY, PSYCHOLOGY AND LAW 2016; 24:278-291. [PMID: 31983954 PMCID: PMC6818421 DOI: 10.1080/13218719.2016.1197816] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/27/2023]
Abstract
The current study used a high cognitive load cross-examination procedure to determine whether this would improve undergraduate students' ability to detect deception in children aged 9 to 12 years. The participants (n = 88) were asked to determine whether children's accounts of an event included a true denial, false denial, true assertion or false assertion about a game played during a home visit occurring one week prior. Overall, the high cognitive load cross-examination did not improve detection rates, in that participants were at chance level for both direct examination (49.4%) and cross-examination (52.3%). Accuracy for true stories was greater than for false stories. Cross-examination improved the detection rates of the false stories, but worsened the accuracy for the true stories. The participants did however rate younger children's true reports to be more credible and believable than their false reports. Participants rated older children's false reports as more credible and believable than their true reports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christine Saykaly
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada
| | - Angela Crossman
- Department of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice CUNY, New York, NY, USA
| | - Victoria Talwar
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, QC Canada
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Hayashi H. Young children’s difficulty with deception in a conflict situation. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DEVELOPMENT 2016. [DOI: 10.1177/0165025415607087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
This study examined young children’s deception in a conflict situation. A puppet show was prepared involving a protagonist who went into hiding, an enemy who wanted to catch the protagonist, and a friend who was looking for the protagonist. In the no-conflict condition, the enemy asked the children about the location of the protagonist. In the conflict condition, the friend asked the children; however, the enemy was nearby and could eavesdrop. Thus, there was a conflict between deceiving the enemy and telling the truth to the friend. In Experiment 1, the enemy hid behind a tree and was not visible to the friend; 80 children aged 4, 5, and 6 years old participated. In Experiment 2, the enemy was visible to the friend but was disguised; 24 children aged 5 and 6 years old participated. Most 5- and 6-year-olds did not give accurate information to the enemy in the no-conflict condition. However, in the conflict condition, most of the children did not control their behavior and immediately gave accurate information to the friend although the enemy was nearby. Young children from the age of 5 years were able to deceive in the no-conflict situation, but it was difficult for them to deceive in the conflict situation.
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Alonzo-Proulx A, Cyr M. Factors Predicting Central Details in Alleged Child Sexual Abuse Victims’ Disclosure. JOURNAL OF FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY PRACTICE 2016. [DOI: 10.1080/15228932.2016.1172422] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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Wyman J, Foster I, Talwar V. An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime. J Vis Exp 2016. [PMID: 27168278 DOI: 10.3791/53773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
A considerable amount of research has evaluated children's lie-telling behaviors and skills(1-2); however, limitations with the tasks used for eliciting false testimonies and interviewing children have restricted the generalizability of the findings. The primary aim of the current study is to provide an easy-to-administer and ecologically valid method for measuring the veracity and quality of school-aged children's (ages 6-11) testimonies when they are asked to provide different types of true and false reports. Moreover, the methodology enables researchers to examine the social and developmental factors that could influence the credibility of a child's testimony. In the current study, children will witness a theft, and are then asked to either falsely deny the transgression, falsely accuse a researcher of the theft, or tell the truth. Afterwards, children are to be interviewed by a second researcher using a thorough and ecologically valid interview protocol that requires children to provide closed-ended and free-recall responses about the events with the instigator (E1). Coders then evaluate the length and number of theft-related details the children give throughout the interview, as well as their ability to maintain their true and false reports. The representative results indicate that the truth and lie-telling conditions elicit the intended behaviors from the children. The open-ended interview questions encouraged children to provide free-recall information about their experiences with E1. Moreover, findings from the closed-ended questions suggest that children are significantly better at maintaining their lies with age, and when producing a false denial compared to a false accusation. Results from the current study can be used to develop a greater understanding of the characteristics of children's true and false testimonies about crime, which can potentially benefit law enforcement, legal staff and professionals who interview children.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua Wyman
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University
| | - Ida Foster
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University
| | - Victoria Talwar
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University;
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Bottoms BL, Peter-Hagene LC, Epstein MA, Wiley TRA, Reynolds CE, Rudnicki AG. Abuse Characteristics and Individual Differences Related to Disclosing Childhood Sexual, Physical, and Emotional Abuse and Witnessed Domestic Violence. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2016; 31:1308-1339. [PMID: 25550167 DOI: 10.1177/0886260514564155] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/04/2023]
Abstract
Many adult survivors of childhood abuse hide their victimization, avoiding disclosure that could identify perpetrators, end the abuse, and bring help to the victim. We surveyed 1,679 women undergraduates to understand disclosure of childhood sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, and, for the first time, witnessed domestic violence, which many consider to be emotionally abusive. A substantial minority of victims failed to ever disclose their sexual abuse (23%), physical abuse (34%), emotional abuse (20%), and witnessed domestic violence (29%). Overall, abuse-specific factors were better predictors of disclosure than individual-level characteristics. Disclosure of sexual abuse was related to experiencing more frequent abuse (by the same and by multiple perpetrators), being more worried about injury and more upset at the time of the abuse, and self-labeling as a victim of abuse. Disclosure of physical abuse was related to experiencing more frequent abuse (by the same and multiple perpetrators), being less emotionally close to the perpetrator, being older when the abuse ended, being more worried and upset, and self-labeling as a victim. Disclosure of emotional abuse was associated with being older when the abuse ended, and being more worried and upset. Disclosure was unrelated to victim demographic characteristics or defensive reactions (dissociative proneness, fantasy proneness, repressive coping style, and temporary forgetting), except that among physical and emotional abuse victims, repressors were less likely to disclose than non-repressors. Disclosure of witnessing domestic violence was not significantly related to any factors measured.
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Cleveland KC, Quas JA, Lyon TD. Valence, Implicated Actor, and Children's Acquiescence to False Suggestions. JOURNAL OF APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2016; 43:1-7. [PMID: 26955204 DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2015.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Although adverse effects of suggestive interviewing on children's accuracy are well documented, it remains unclear as to whether these effects vary depending on the valence of and the actor implicated in suggestions. In this study, 124 3-8-year-olds participated in a classroom activity and were later questioned about positive and negative false details. The interviewer provided positive reinforcement when children acquiesced to suggestions and negative feedback when they did not. Following reinforcement or feedback, young children were comparably suggestible for positive and negative details. With age, resistance to suggestions about negative details emerged first, followed by resistance to suggestions about positive details. Across age, more negative feedback was required to induce acquiescence to negative than positive false details. Finally, children were less willing to acquiesce when they (versus the confederate) were implicated. Findings highlight the interactive effects of valence and children's age on their eyewitness performance in suggestive contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyndra C Cleveland
- , , 4201 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-7085 United States
| | - Jodi A Quas
- , , 4328 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, CA 92697-7085 United States
| | - Thomas D Lyon
- , , University of Southern California, 699 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90089 United States
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Malloy LC, Mugno AP. Children's recantation of adult wrongdoing: An experimental investigation. J Exp Child Psychol 2016; 145:11-21. [PMID: 26771375 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2015.12.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Revised: 12/05/2015] [Accepted: 12/11/2015] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Child maltreatment cases often hinge on a child's word versus a defendant's word, making children's disclosures crucially important. There is considerable debate concerning why children recant allegations, and it is imperative to examine recantation experimentally. The purpose of this laboratory analogue investigation was to test (a) how often children recant true allegations of an adult's wrongdoing after disclosing and (b) whether children's age and caregiver supportiveness predict recantation. During an interactive event, 6- to 9-year-olds witnessed an experimenter break a puppet and were asked to keep the transgression a secret. Children were then interviewed to elicit a disclosure of the transgression. Mothers were randomly assigned to react supportively or unsupportively to this disclosure, and children were interviewed again. We coded children's recantations (explicit denials of the broken puppet after disclosing) and changes in their forthcomingness (shifts from denial or claims of lack of knowledge/memory to disclosure and vice versa) in free recall and in response to focused questions about the transgression. Overall, 23.3% of the children recanted their prior disclosures (46% and 0% in the unsupportive and supportive conditions, respectively). No age differences in recantation rates emerged, but 8- and 9-year-olds were more likely than 6- and 7-year-olds to maintain their recantation throughout Interview 2. Children whose mothers reacted supportively to disclosure became more forthcoming in Interview 2, and those whose mothers reacted unsupportively became less forthcoming. Results advance theoretical understanding of how children disclose negative experiences, including sociomotivational influences on their reports, and have practical implications for the legal system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay C Malloy
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA.
| | - Allison P Mugno
- Department of Psychology, Florida International University, Miami, FL 33199, USA
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24
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Zajac R, Irvine B, Ingram JM, Jack F. The Diagnostic Value of Children's Responses to Cross-Examination Questioning. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW 2016; 34:160-177. [PMID: 27117604 DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/31/2015] [Revised: 12/15/2015] [Accepted: 01/05/2016] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
In response to a widespread belief within the legal system that cross-examination is instrumental in uncovering the truth, we examined the effect of cross-examination questioning on the reports of children who had-and had not-been coached to lie. A group of children, aged 6-11 years (N = 65), played three computer games with one of their parents. For half of the pairs, the parents-who acted as confederates-coached their children to make lies of commission concerning the occurrence of two target activities. For the remaining pairs, these two target activities actually occurred, and there was no coaching. Immediately afterwards, children were interviewed about the two activities. Those who-correctly or incorrectly-reported that both activities occurred were retained for the final sample (n = 56); these children were then interviewed again with both neutral questions and cross-examination-style challenges. Neither style of questioning elicited responses that discriminated between liars and truth-tellers: although the accuracy of children who were lying increased in response to cross-examination questions, the accuracy of truth-telling children saw a corresponding decrease. When asked neutral questions, children's responses tended to be consistent with their earlier responses, whether or not those responses were lies. These findings raise important questions about the function that cross-examination might serve in trials involving child witnesses. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rachel Zajac
- Psychology Department, University of Otago, New Zealand
| | | | | | - Fiona Jack
- Psychology Department, University of Otago, New Zealand
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25
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Cordón IM, Silberkleit G, Goodman GS. Getting to Know You: Familiarity, Stereotypes, and Children's Eyewitness Memory. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW 2016; 34:74-94. [PMID: 27117602 DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2233] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
The present study concerned how the acquisition of social information, specifically knowledge about personal characteristics, influences young children's memory and suggestibility. Effects of two sources of knowledge about a target person were systematically examined: familiarity and stereotypes. Children, aged 4-5 and 7-9 years (N = 145), were randomly assigned, per age group, to experimental conditions based on a familiarity (6 hours vs. no prior exposure) × stereotype (negative depiction as messy and clumsy vs. no stereotype) factorial design. Children then watched the target person engage in a target event (a series of contests) at a preschool ("Camp Ingrid"). The children's memory and suggestibility about the target person and target event were tested after a delay of 2 weeks. Results indicated that the negative stereotype resulted in an increase in children's correct responses both to free-recall stereotype-related questions (when children were unfamiliar with the target person) and to closed-ended questions overall (for younger children). However, the stereotype was associated with greater error to stereotype-related closed-ended questions. Moreover, familiarity increased children's accuracy to closed-ended questions. Implications for theory and application are discussed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Gordon HM, Lyon TD, Lee K. Social and cognitive factors associated with children's secret-keeping for a parent. Child Dev 2014; 85:2374-88. [PMID: 25291258 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.12301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
This study examined children's secret-keeping for a parent and its relation to trust, theory of mind, secrecy endorsement, and executive functioning (EF). Children (N = 107) between 4 and 12 years of age participated in a procedure wherein parents broke a toy and asked children to promise secrecy. Responses to open-ended and direct questions were examined. Overall, secret-keeping increased with age and promising to keep the secret was related to fewer disclosures in open-ended questioning. Children who kept the secret in direct questioning exhibited greater trust and better parental ratings of EF than children who disclosed the secret. Findings highlight the importance of both social and cognitive factors in secret-keeping development.
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27
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Disclosing adult wrongdoing: maltreated and non-maltreated children's expectations and preferences. J Exp Child Psychol 2014; 124:78-96. [PMID: 24769356 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2014.01.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2013] [Revised: 01/24/2014] [Accepted: 01/28/2014] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Little is known about the process by which children disclose adult wrongdoing, a topic of considerable debate and controversy. In the current study, we investigated children's evaluations of disclosing adult wrongdoing by focusing on children's preferences for particular disclosure recipients and perceptions of the consequences of disclosure in hypothetical vignettes. We tested whether children thought that disclosure recipients would believe a story child as a truth teller and what actions the recipients would take against the "instigator" who committed the transgression. Maltreated and non-maltreated 4- to 9-year-olds (N=235) responded to questions about vignettes that described a parent's or stranger's transgression. Older children preferred caregiver recipients over police officer recipients when disclosing a parent's transgression but not a stranger's transgression. Maltreated children's preference for caregiver recipients over police officer recipients developed more gradually than that of non-maltreated children. Older children expected disclosure recipients to be more skeptical of the story child's account, and older children and maltreated children expected disclosure recipients to intervene formally less often when a parent, rather than a stranger, was the instigator. Results contribute to understanding vulnerable children's development and highlight the developmental, experiential, and socio-contextual factors underlying children's disclosure patterns.
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Kim S, Harris PL, Warneken F. Is it okay to tell? Children's judgements about information disclosure. BRITISH JOURNAL OF DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2014; 32:291-304. [DOI: 10.1111/bjdp.12040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2013] [Revised: 02/12/2014] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sunae Kim
- Harvard University; Cambridge Massachusetts USA
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29
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King CB, Scott KL. Why are suspected cases of child maltreatment referred by educators so often unsubstantiated? CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2014; 38:1-10. [PMID: 23834992 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2013.06.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2012] [Revised: 05/21/2013] [Accepted: 06/03/2013] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
School professionals have a unique vantage point for identifying child maltreatment and they are a frequent source of referral to child protective services. Disturbingly, past studies have found that maltreatment concerns reported by educators go unsubstantiated by child protective services at much higher rates than suspected maltreatment reported by other professionals. This study explores whether there are systematic differences in the characteristics of cases reported by educators as compared to other professionals and examines whether such variation might account for differences in investigation outcome. Analyses were based on 7,725 cases of suspected maltreatment referred by professionals to child protective services from the Canadian Incidence Study of Reported Child Abuse and Neglect - 2003 a national database on the characteristics of children and families investigated by child protective services. School professionals were responsible for 35.8% of professional referrals. Reports by educators were much more likely to be unsubstantiated (45.3%) than those by other professionals (28.4%) in subsequent child protective investigation. Cases reported by educators were found to contain significantly more child risk factors (e.g., child emotional and behavioural problems) and fewer caregiver and family risk factors (e.g., caregiver mental health problem, single parent family) than cases reported by other professionals. Even controlling for these differences, educator-reported concerns were still 1.84, 95% CI [1.41, 2.40] times as likely to be unsubstantiated as reports from other professionals. Contrary to the notion that educators are mostly reporting non-severe cases, suspected/substantiated cases reported by school professionals were more likely to be judged as chronic and more likely to involve families with a previous child protection history. Results are concerning for the capacity of the education and child protection systems to work together to meet their shared goal of promoting healthy child development. Additional research is needed on the way in which child risks and problems influence child protective service, particularly in the context of chronic abuse and neglect and lack of availability of child and family mental health interventions. Potential problems with credibility of school professionals as reporters of child maltreatment concerns also warrant further investigation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Colin B King
- Department of Human Development and Applied Psychology, OISE, University of Toronto, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 1V6
| | - Katreena L Scott
- Department of Human Development and Applied Psychology, OISE, University of Toronto, 252 Bloor Street West, Toronto, ON, Canada M5S 1V6
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30
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Anagnostaki L, Wright MJ, Papathanasiou A. Secrets and Disclosures: How Young Children Handle Secrets. The Journal of Genetic Psychology 2013; 174:316-34. [DOI: 10.1080/00221325.2012.672350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/27/2022]
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31
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Talwar V, Crossman AM. Children’s lies and their detection: Implications for child witness testimony. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2012.06.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 61] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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32
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Lyon TD, Scurich N, Choi K, Handmaker S, Blank R. "How did you feel?": increasing child sexual abuse witnesses' production of evaluative information. LAW AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2012; 36:448-57. [PMID: 22309936 PMCID: PMC3982717 DOI: 10.1037/h0093986] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
In child sexual abuse cases, the victim's testimony is essential, because the victim and the perpetrator tend to be the only eyewitnesses to the crime. A potentially important component of an abuse report is the child's subjective reactions to the abuse. Attorneys may ask suggestive questions or avoid questioning children about their reactions, assuming that children, given their immaturity and reluctance, are incapable of articulation. We hypothesized that How questions referencing reactions to abuse (e.g., "how did you feel") would increase the productivity of children's descriptions of abuse reactions. Two studies compared the extent to which children provided evaluative content, defined as descriptions of emotional, cognitive, and physical reactions, in response to different question-types, including How questions, Wh- questions, Option-posing questions (yes-no or forced-choice), and Suggestive questions. The first study examined children's testimony (ages 5-18) in 80 felony child sexual abuse cases. How questions were more productive yet the least prevalent, and Option-posing and Suggestive questions were less productive but the most common. The second study examined interview transcripts of 61 children (ages 6-12) suspected of being abused, in which children were systematically asked How questions regarding their reactions to abuse, thus controlling for the possibility that in the first study, attorneys selectively asked How questions of more articulate children. Again, How questions were most productive in eliciting evaluative content. The results suggest that interviewers and attorneys interested in eliciting evaluative reactions should ask children "how did you feel?" rather than more direct or suggestive questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D Lyon
- Gould School of Law & Department of Psychology, University of Southern California
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33
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Zajac R, O’Neill S, Hayne H. Disorder in the courtroom? Child witnesses under cross-examination. DEVELOPMENTAL REVIEW 2012. [DOI: 10.1016/j.dr.2012.06.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/28/2022]
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34
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Malloy LC, Brubacher SP, Lamb ME. Expected Consequences of Disclosure Revealed in Investigative Interviews with Suspected Victims of Child Sexual Abuse. APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE 2011. [DOI: 10.1080/10888691.2011.538616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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35
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Talwar V, Crossman A. From little white lies to filthy liars: the evolution of honesty and deception in young children. ADVANCES IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT AND BEHAVIOR 2011; 40:139-79. [PMID: 21887961 DOI: 10.1016/b978-0-12-386491-8.00004-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 110] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Though it is frequently condemned, lie-telling is a common and frequent activity in interpersonal interactions, with apparent social risks and benefits. The current review examines the development of deception among children. It is argued that early lying is normative, reflecting children's emerging cognitive and social development. Children lie to preserve self-interests as well as for the benefit of others. With age, children learn about the social norms that promote honesty while encouraging occasional prosocial lie-telling. Yet, lying can become a problem behavior with frequent or inappropriate use over time. Chronic lie-telling of any sort risks social consequences, such as the loss of credibility and damage to relationships. By middle childhood, chronic reliance on lying may be related to poor development of conscience, weak self-regulatory control, and antisocial behavior, and it could be indicative of maladjustment and put the individual in conflict with the environment. The goal of the current chapter is to capture the complexity of lying and build a preliminary understanding of how children's social experiences with their environments, their own dispositions, and their developing cognitive maturity interact, over time, to predict their lying behavior and, for some, their chronic and problem lying. Implications for fostering honesty in young children are discussed.
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36
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Anagnostaki L, Wright MJ, Bourchier-Sutton AJ. The Semantics of Secrecy: Young Children's Classification of Secret Content. The Journal of Genetic Psychology 2010; 171:279-99. [DOI: 10.1080/00221325.2010.493186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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37
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Lyon TD, Malloy LC, Quas JA, Talwar VA. Coaching, truth induction, and young maltreated children's false allegations and false denials. Child Dev 2008; 79:914-29. [PMID: 18717898 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-8624.2008.01167.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 72] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the effects of coaching (encouragement and rehearsal of false reports) and truth induction (a child-friendly version of the oath or general reassurance about the consequences of disclosure) on 4- to 7-year-old maltreated children's reports (N = 198). Children were questioned using free recall, repeated yes-no questions, and highly suggestive suppositional questions. Coaching impaired children's accuracy. For free-recall and repeated yes-no questions, the oath exhibited some positive effects, but this effect diminished in the face of highly suggestive questions. Reassurance had few positive effects and no ill effects. Neither age nor understanding of the meaning and negative consequences of lying consistently predicted accuracy. The results support the utility of truth induction in enhancing the accuracy of child witnesses' reports.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D Lyon
- University of Southern California Law School, University of Southern California, 699 Exposition Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0071, USA.
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38
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Lyon TD, Dorado JS. Truth induction in young maltreated children: the effects of oath-taking and reassurance on true and false disclosures. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2008; 32:738-48. [PMID: 18599119 PMCID: PMC3280084 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.08.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2006] [Revised: 07/29/2007] [Accepted: 08/14/2007] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Two studies examined the effects of the oath or reassurance ("truth induction") on 5- to 7-year-old maltreated children's true and false reports of a minor transgression. METHODS In both studies an interviewer elicited a promise to tell the truth, reassured children that they would not get in trouble for disclosing the transgression, or gave no instructions before questioning the child. In Study 1, children were encouraged to play with an attractive toy by a confederate, who then informed them that they might get in trouble for playing. In Study 2, a confederate engaged children in play, but did not play with the attractive toy. RESULTS In Study 1, the oath and reassurance increased disclosure among children who would qualify as competent to take the oath. In Study 2 neither the oath nor reassurance increased false reports among children who would qualify as competent, whether yes/no questions or tag questions were asked. Among non-competent children, reassurance (but not the oath) increased false reports. Children were more likely to accuse the confederate of the transgression than to implicate themselves. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that a promise to tell the truth may increase true disclosures without increasing false allegations. Reassurance that specifically mentions the target activity also increases true disclosures, but may increase acquiescence among some children. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS A child-friendly version of the oath may be a useful addition to child interviews.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas D Lyon
- University of Southern California Gould School of Law, 699 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90089-0071, USA
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39
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Schaaf JM, Alexander KW, Goodman GS. Children’s false memory and true disclosure in the face of repeated questions. J Exp Child Psychol 2008; 100:157-85. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2007.09.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2007] [Accepted: 09/14/2007] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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40
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Quas JA, Davis EL, Goodman GS, Myers JEB. Repeated questions, deception, and children's true and false reports of body touch. CHILD MALTREATMENT 2007; 12:60-7. [PMID: 17218648 PMCID: PMC2913694 DOI: 10.1177/1077559506296141] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/13/2023]
Abstract
Four- to 7-year-olds' ability to answer repeated questions about body touch either honestly or dishonestly was examined. Children experienced a play event, during which one third of the children were touched innocuously. Two weeks later, they returned for a memory interview. Some children who had not been touched were instructed to lie during the interview and say that they had been touched. Children so instructed were consistent in maintaining the lie but performed poorly when answering repeated questions unrelated to the lie. Children who were not touched and told the truth were accurate when answering repeated questions. Of note, children who had been touched and told the truth were the most inconsistent. Results call into question the common assumption that consistency is a useful indicator of veracity in children's eyewitness accounts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jodi A Quas
- University of California, Irvine, CA 92697-7085, USA.
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41
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Talwar V, Lee K, Bala N, Lindsay RCL. Adults' judgments of children's coached reports. LAW AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2006; 30:561-70. [PMID: 16941237 PMCID: PMC2581473 DOI: 10.1007/s10979-006-9038-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
This study investigated adults' judgments of the honesty of children's coached true and fabricated mock testimony. Adults saw video clips of children testifying in a mock court about a true or fabricated event in their lives. They were asked to make an assessment of the truthfulness of the testimony, and respond to questions about their perception of children's credibility. Half of the adults saw children testifying after a competence examination, and the other half saw children testifying without a competence examination. Overall, girls were rated as more competent than boys, and their testimony was more likely to be believed. Younger children were more likely to be rated as incompetent than older children. A factor analysis of adults' responses revealed six factors which significantly predicted adults' overall assessment of children's credibility, and their evaluations of children's competence to testify. Adults' detection accuracy was at chance, with the majority of children rated as truthful. Viewing the competency examination and cross-examination did not improve the adults' detection accuracy. However, seeing the cross-examination made adults' less likely to believe children's testimony. The implications of these results for the judicial system are discussed.
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42
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Springman RE, Wherry JN, Notaro PC. The effects of interviewer race and child race on sexual abuse disclosures in forensic interviews. JOURNAL OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE 2006; 15:99-116. [PMID: 16893821 DOI: 10.1300/j070v15n03_06] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the impact of interviewer race and child race on disclosures by alleged child sexual abuse victims during forensic interviews. Despite findings that supportiveness of caretaker, gender of interviewer, gender of child, and age of child affect disclosure, previous studies have failed to examine race as a variable impacting disclosure in a real-world setting. The study examined 220 cases from an archive of reports generated from forensic interviews in an urban setting. The reports were reviewed and coded for degree of disclosure, focusing on African American and Caucasian children and interviewers. The results indicate that child race and the interaction of child race and interviewer race reliably distinguished between no disclosure, tentative disclosure, and disclosure with detailed account of activity, while interviewer race alone failed to serve as a significant predictor. The interaction between child race and interviewer race was not in the predicted direction, with cross-race dyads disclosing more than same-race dyads. Results are discussed in the context of real-world applications versus the previous analogue child sexual abuse literature.
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43
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Jensen TK, Gulbrandsen W, Mossige S, Reichelt S, Tjersland OA. Reporting possible sexual abuse: a qualitative study on children's perspectives and the context for disclosure. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2005; 29:1395-413. [PMID: 16293304 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2005.07.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2003] [Revised: 07/04/2005] [Accepted: 07/21/2005] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE The present study investigated the context in which children were able to report their child sexual abuse experiences and the children's views as to what made it difficult to talk about abuse and what helped them in the disclosing process. The aim was to study disclosures as they were occurring in their natural settings. METHOD Data were obtained from therapeutic sessions and follow-up interviews from 20 families with 22 children. These children had said something that made their caregivers concerned about ongoing child sexual abuse. Qualitative analysis was conducted to capture the children's and caregiver's perspectives of the disclosure process. RESULTS The children felt it was difficult to find situations containing enough privacy and prompts that they could share their experiences. They also were sensitive to others reactions, and whether their disclosures would be misinterpreted. When the children did disclose they did it in situations where the theme of child sexual abuse was in some form addressed or activated. The results indicate that disclosure is a fundamentally dialogical process that becomes less difficult if the children perceive that there is an opportunity to talk, and a purpose for speaking, and a connection has been established to what they are talking about. CONCLUSIONS It is difficult for children to initiate a conversation about something secret, confusing and distressful, and where there are few conversational routines in a family for talking about such themes. Children also are sensitive to the needs of their caregivers and fear consequences for their family and offender. Children need a supportive structure or scaffold in order to reveal their experiences of child sexual abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tine K Jensen
- University of Oslo, Department of Psychology, P.O. 1094, N-0317 Oslo, Norway
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Wagland P, Bussey K. Factors that facilitate and undermine children's beliefs about truth telling. LAW AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR 2005; 29:639-55. [PMID: 16382354 DOI: 10.1007/s10979-005-7371-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/05/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the extent to which children believe that truth telling is compromised by negative outcome expectancies. It also investigated the efficacy of two types of appeals, externally and internally directed, for encouraging truth telling. Seventy-two children from three age groups (5, 7, and 10 years of age) participated in a vignette study designed to examine these issues. Results showed that children believed that truth telling about an adult's transgression would be more likely if negative outcomes were not expected than if they were expected. Further, children believed that either externally or internally focused encouragement would facilitate truth telling when negative outcomes were expected for truth telling. Beliefs about the propensity for truth telling were associated more with positive evaluations of truth telling than with negative evaluations of lying. These results have important implications for court cases in which children testify about an adult who has sworn them to secrecy and they are afraid to speak the truth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul Wagland
- Division of Linguistics & Psychology, Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia
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London K, Nunez N. Examining the efficacy of truth/lie discussions in predicting and increasing the veracity of children's reports. J Exp Child Psychol 2002; 83:131-47. [PMID: 12408959 DOI: 10.1016/s0022-0965(02)00119-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
This study investigated whether children's ability to reason about truths and lies influenced their truth-telling behavior. Four-six-year-old children (n=118) played a game that was intended to motivate children to use deception to hide a minor transgression. Next, an interviewer gave children one of four preliminary discussions. Children received a typical forensic truth/lie discussion (TLD), a developmentally appropriate and more elaborate TLD, or one of two discussions that controlled for the time spent conversing with children. Children were interviewed about the event. The results revealed that children's performance on the truth/lie questions did not predict their truth-telling behavior. Regardless of their performance on truth/lie questions, children who received TLD's gave more honest reports than children who did not receive TLD's. These results suggest that discussing truths and lies with children may promote truth-telling behavior. However, the results cast doubt on the validity of using children's performance on truth/lie questions as a measure of competency.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kamala London
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 600 North Wolfe Street, Baltimore, MD 21287-3325, USA.
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