1
|
Henderson HM, Wylie BE, Lyon TD. The Comparative Productivity of the Birthday Narrative in 6- to 11-year-Old Maltreated Children. CHILD MALTREATMENT 2024:10775595241264279. [PMID: 39028258 DOI: 10.1177/10775595241264279] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/20/2024]
Abstract
We asked 111 6- to 11-year-old maltreated children to tell "everything that happened" on their last birthday, the last time they did something they liked to do outside, and yesterday. All children produced details in response to the like to do and yesterday narratives, compared to 98% of children in response to the birthday narrative. Questions about yesterday were more likely to elicit productive responses (93%) than questions about the child's birthday (90%) or things they liked to do (88%). Older children produced the most details in response to questions about yesterday, and older children's birthday narratives were more productive than those about favorite activities. Narratives about children's birthday and yesterday produced comparable percentages of negative details (15%), whereas 32% of children mentioned something negative when discussing a favorite activity. The results suggest that although children find yesterday easier to recall than their last birthday, the birthday narrative is a productive tool for encouraging children to practice recalling more remote events, preparing them for abuse disclosures.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Hayden M Henderson
- University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Thomas D Lyon
- University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Wylie BE, Henderson HM, Lundon GM, Lyon TD. Forensic interviewers' difficulty with the birthday narrative. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2024; 152:106752. [PMID: 38555714 PMCID: PMC11298824 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2024.106752] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 04/02/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Narrative practice increases children's productivity in forensic interviews, and one recommended topic is the child's last birthday, though interviewers have raised concerns about its productivity. STUDY 1 OBJECTIVE: Study 1 surveyed forensic interviewers' use of and attitudes about the birthday narrative. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Participants included 170 forensic interviewers who subscribed to a webinar promoting use of the birthday narrative (Mage = 43 years, SD = 10.2, 94 % female). RESULTS Over half (55 %) of interviewers reported that they rarely/never asked about children's birthdays, and non-users were especially likely to view the birthday narrative as never/rarely productive. Although interviewers viewed memory difficulties as more likely to occur with the birthday narrative than other practice topics (the child's likes, the child's day), non-users did not view memory difficulties, reluctance, generic reports, or religious objections as especially problematic. Open-ended responses identified negative experiences with the birthday as an additional concern, and interviewers' recommended wording of the prompts suggested suboptimal questioning strategies. STUDY 2 OBJECTIVE: Study 2 assessed the use of the birthday narrative in forensic interviews. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING The sample included 350 forensic interviews with 4- to 12-year-old children (Mage = 8.85, SD = 2.59). RESULTS Only 4 % of children failed to recall substantive information if interviewers persisted, though another 11 % failed when interviewers stopped persisting. Invitations were more effective than other question types, especially among older children. 21 % of children mentioned a negative detail during their narrative. CONCLUSIONS Interviewers' skepticism about the birthday narrative may be due to suboptimal questioning and sensitivity to occasional failures and negative information.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Breanne E Wylie
- University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, United States of America.
| | - Hayden M Henderson
- University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, United States of America
| | - Georgia M Lundon
- University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, United States of America
| | - Thomas D Lyon
- University of Southern California, Gould School of Law, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Henderson H, Sullivan CE, Wylie BE, Stolzenberg SN, Evans AD, Lyon TD. Child Witnesses Productively Respond to "How" Questions About Evaluations but Struggle With Other "How" Questions. CHILD MALTREATMENT 2023; 28:417-426. [PMID: 37183264 PMCID: PMC10908348 DOI: 10.1177/10775595231175913] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Child interviewers are often advised to avoid asking "How" questions, particularly with young children. However, children tend to answer "How" evaluative questions productively (e.g., "How did you feel?"). "How" evaluative questions are phrased as a "How" followed by an auxiliary verb (e.g., "did" or "was"), but so are "How" questions requesting information about method or manner (e.g., "How did he touch you?"), and "How" method/manner questions might be more difficult for children to answer. We examined 458 5- to 17-year-old children questioned about sexual abuse, identified 2485 "How" questions with an auxiliary verb, and classified them as "How" evaluative (n = 886) or "How" method/manner (n = 1599). Across age, children gave more productive answers to "How" evaluative questions than "How" method/manner questions. Although even young children responded appropriately to "How" method/manner questions over 80% of the time, specific types of "How" method/manner questions were particularly difficult, including questions regarding clothing, body positioning, and the nature of touch. Children's difficulties lie in specific combinations of "How" questions and topics, rather than "How" questions in general.
Collapse
|
4
|
Karni-Visel Y, Hershkowitz I, Lamb ME, Blasbalg U. Nonverbal Emotions While Disclosing Child Abuse: The Role of Interviewer Support. CHILD MALTREATMENT 2023; 28:66-75. [PMID: 34964680 PMCID: PMC9806472 DOI: 10.1177/10775595211063497] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Statements by alleged victims are important when child abuse is prosecuted; triers-of-fact often attend to nonverbal emotional expressions when evaluating those statements. This study examined the associations among interviewer supportiveness, children's nonverbal emotions, and informativeness during 100 forensic interviews with alleged victims of child abuse. Raters coded the silent videotapes for children's nonverbal emotional expressions while other raters coded the transcripts for interviewer support, children's verbal emotions, and informativeness. Results showed that children's nonverbal signals were more common than and preceded the verbal signs. Interviewer support was associated with children's expressivity. When children expressed more nonverbal emotions, they were more responsive during the pre-substantive phases and more informative about the abuse. Nonverbal emotions partially mediated the association between support and informativeness. The findings underline the value of nonverbal emotional expression during forensic interviews and demonstrate how the interviewers' supportive demeanor can facilitate children's emotional displays and increase informativeness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yael Karni-Visel
- University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Yael Karni-Visel, The Louis and Gabi
Weisfeld School of Social Work, Bar Ilan University, Ramat-Gan 5290002, Israel.
;
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
5
|
Stolzenberg SN, Williams S, McWilliams K, Liang C, Lyon TD. The utility of direct questions in eliciting subjective content from children disclosing sexual abuse. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2021; 116:103964. [PMID: 30952365 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2019.02.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2018] [Revised: 02/27/2019] [Accepted: 02/28/2019] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Children alleging sexual abuse rarely exhibit emotion when disclosing, but they may be able to describe their subjective reactions to abuse if asked. OBJECTIVE This study examined the extent to which different types of questions in child sexual abuse interviews elicited subjective content, namely emotional reactions, cognitive content, and physical sensations. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING The study included transcripts of 205 Child Advocacy Center interviews with 4- to 12-year-old children alleging sexual abuse. METHODS We coded questions for question type, distinguishing among invitations, wh- questions, yes/no and forced-choice questions, and suggestive questions. We coded both questions and answers for whether they referenced subjective content. RESULTS When questions did not reference subjective content, the most productive questions were invitations, though they elicited subjective content less than 5% of the time. When questions specifically referenced subjective content, children were likely to explicitly mention such content, particularly in response to "how feel" and "what think" questions. Children's responsiveness and productivity was enhanced by requests to elaborate on their subjective responses, and both emotional and physical reactions could be elicited. There was little evidence of non-responsiveness or counterintuitive reactions to abuse. Younger children were less likely than older children to provide subjective responses to questions that did not reference subjective content, but were no less likely to do so when asked questions with subjective content. CONCLUSIONS Children, even young children, can be successfully encouraged to provide subjective content about sexual abuse, particularly when free recall questions are supplemented with "how feel" or "what think" questions.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- 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.
| | - Kelly McWilliams
- Department of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, 524 W 59th Street, New York, NY 10019, United States.
| | - Catherine Liang
- Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, 699 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States.
| | - Thomas D Lyon
- Judge Edward J. and Ruey L. Guirado Chair in Law and Psychology, Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, 699 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90089, United States.
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Szojka ZA, Nicol A, La Rooy D. Narrative coherence in multiple forensic interviews with child witnesses alleging physical and sexual abuse. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - David La Rooy
- School of Law, Royal HollowayUniversity of London London UK
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Karni-Visel Y, Hershkowitz I, Lamb ME, Blasbalg U. Facilitating the Expression of Emotions by Alleged Victims of Child Abuse During Investigative Interviews Using the Revised NICHD Protocol. CHILD MALTREATMENT 2019; 24:310-318. [PMID: 30879346 DOI: 10.1177/1077559519831382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Children's testimony is often critical to the initiation of legal proceedings in abuse cases. In forensic interviews, the expression of emotions can powerfully enhance both the quality of children's statements and perceptions that their statements are coherent and credible. However, children rarely express their emotions when reporting abusive events. The Revised The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD) Protocol (RP) was designed to emphasize socioemotional communication during forensic interviews and thus should be associated with more extensive and diverse expressions of emotions by alleged victims of abuse. The present study focused on forensic interviews (178 using the Revised and 100 using the Standard NICHD Protocol) with victims of physical child abuse whose allegations were corroborated using independent evidence. Detailed content coding showed that the RP was associated with the expression of more different emotions, more expression of abuse-related emotions, and more expression of emotions related to the interview context. Emotional expressiveness was associated with increased informativeness, and the association between the type of protocol and informativeness was fully mediated by emotional expressiveness. These results suggest that the Revised Protocol facilitates the expression of emotions by alleged victims of abuse in a way that enhances the value of children's testimony in multiple ways.
Collapse
|
8
|
Iversen C. Beyond accessing information: Claiming to understand in child social welfare interviews. BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY 2018; 58:550-568. [PMID: 30431156 DOI: 10.1111/bjso.12289] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2018] [Revised: 10/09/2018] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
The present article investigates how people manage understanding of personal experiences in an institutional setting in which shared understanding of one party's experience can become an issue at stake: social welfare interviews with child victims of abuse. New recommendations on how to respond to child interviewees limit interviewers' support to experiences of which they have direct access. Using conversation analysis and discursive psychology to examine cases in which interviewers respond to children's reports of experiences by claiming to understand, the current article shows that interviewers primarily use such claims after interviewees have indicated that the interviewer may not understand. By claiming to understand, interviewers orient to a difference between an interview requirement - not assuming they know the children's specific experiences - and their ability to interpret the children's situations. The study shows how interviewers use claims of understanding to distinguish themselves as understanding persons from their information-eliciting approach as social welfare investigators. Findings contribute to social psychological research on how people manage challenges related to eliciting and recognizing experience in interaction. In particular, the study offers research on interviews with child victims of abuse a new angle on the tension between information elicitation and support.
Collapse
|
9
|
Ahern EC, Andrews SJ, Stolzenberg SN, Lyon TD. The Productivity of Wh- Prompts in Child Forensic Interviews. JOURNAL OF INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE 2018; 33:2007-2015. [PMID: 26668179 DOI: 10.1177/0886260515621084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Child witnesses are often asked wh- prompts (what, how, why, who, when, where) in forensic interviews. However, little research has examined the ways in which children respond to different wh- prompts, and no previous research has investigated productivity differences among wh- prompts in investigative interviews. This study examined the use and productivity of wh- prompts in 95 transcripts of 4- to 13-year-olds alleging sexual abuse in child investigative interviews. What-how questions about actions elicited the most productive responses during both the rapport building and substantive phases. Future research and practitioner training should consider distinguishing among different wh- prompts.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Thomas D Lyon
- 3 University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Katz C, Paddon MJ, Barnetz Z. Emotional Language Used by Victims of Alleged Sexual Abuse During Forensic Investigation. JOURNAL OF CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE 2016; 25:243-261. [PMID: 27135380 DOI: 10.1080/10538712.2016.1137666] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Abstract
Addressing the characteristics of children as witnesses has been a focus of many researchers; however, the emotion derived from children during investigative interviews is an understudied field that is vital for practitioners from various contexts. The current study explores the emotional language that children use during forensic investigations following suspected sexual abuse. The sample comprises 97 investigative interviews with children (N = 97) aged 3-14 years. These interviews were randomly selected from all forensic interviews carried out in Israel in 2011. All of the interviews were conducted in conformity with the National Institute of Child Health and Development Protocol, and the emotional language of the children was coded. The results reveal a limited overall presence of emotional language. Children hardly used positive emotional language and mainly employed negative emotional language. The interview phase and the age of the children greatly affected the use of emotional language, and gender and suspect familiarity had no effect on the children's emotional language. The findings from the current study enhance existing knowledge on the emotional language of children during forensic investigations and highlight the study's unique characteristics in the context of abuse, trauma, and forensic investigation. The results of this study demonstrate the need for including probes about emotions in investigative interviews and the addition of emotional language to coding schemes for investigative interviews.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Carmit Katz
- a Bob Shapell School of Social Work , Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv , Israel
| | - Misha Janet Paddon
- a Bob Shapell School of Social Work , Tel Aviv University , Tel Aviv , Israel
| | - Zion Barnetz
- b School of Social Work , The Max Stern Yezreel Valley College , Jezreel Valley , Israel
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Ahern EC, Stolzenberg SN, Lyon TD. Do Prosecutors Use Interview Instructions or Build Rapport with Child Witnesses? BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW 2015; 33:476-492. [PMID: 26206485 PMCID: PMC4568943 DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the quality of interview instructions and rapport-building provided by prosecutors to 168 children aged 5-12 years testifying in child sexual abuse cases, preceding explicit questions about abuse allegations. Prosecutors failed to effectively administer key interview instructions, build rapport, or rely on open-ended narrative producing prompts during this early stage of questioning. Moreover, prosecutors often directed children's attention to the defendant early in the testimony. The productivity of different types of wh- questions varied, with what/how questions focusing on actions being particularly productive. The lack of instructions, poor quality rapport-building, and closed-ended questioning suggest that children may not be adequately prepared during trial to provide lengthy and reliable reports to their full ability.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth C. Ahern
- Correspondence to: Dr. Elizabeth C. Ahern, Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Free School Lane, Cambridge CB2 3RQ, UK.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Malloy LC, Katz C, Lamb ME, Mugno AP. Children's Requests for Clarification in Investigative Interviews About Suspected Sexual Abuse. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lindsay C. Malloy
- Department of Psychology; Florida International University; Miami USA
| | - Carmit Katz
- School of Social Work; Tel Aviv University; Tel Aviv Israel
| | - Michael E. Lamb
- Department of Psychology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
| | - Allison P. Mugno
- Department of Psychology; Florida International University; Miami USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Ahern EC, Hershkowitz I, Lamb ME, Blasbalg U, Winstanley A. Support and reluctance in the pre-substantive phase of alleged child abuse victim investigative interviews: revised versus standard NICHD protocols. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW 2014; 32:762-74. [PMID: 25418845 DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Revised: 09/22/2014] [Accepted: 10/01/2014] [Indexed: 05/25/2023]
Abstract
Children's unwillingness to report abuse places them at risk for re-victimization, and interviewers who do not respond sensitively to that unwillingness may increase the likelihood that victims will not disclose abuse. Interviewer support and children's reluctance were examined on a turn-by-turn basis using sequential analyses in 199 forensic interviews of 3- to 13-year-olds who alleged maltreatment. Half of the children were interviewed using the Revised Protocol that emphasized rapport-building (RP), the others using the Standard National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Protocol (SP). When using the RP, interviewers provided proportionally more support than when using the SP, but even when using the RP they did not specifically provide support when children expressed reluctance. The RP promoted immediate cooperation when reluctant utterances were met with support, however, suggesting that supportive statements were valuable. The findings enhance our understanding of children's willingness to participate in investigative interviews and the means through which interviewers can foster the comfort and well-being of young witnesses.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth C Ahern
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Free School Lane, Cambridge, CB2 3RQ, UK
| | | | | | | | | |
Collapse
|