1
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Henderson HM, Lundon GM, Lyon TD. Suppositional Wh-Questions About Perceptions, Conversations, and actions are More Productive than Paired Yes-No Questions when Questioning Maltreated Children. CHILD MALTREATMENT 2023; 28:55-65. [PMID: 35025692 PMCID: PMC10914390 DOI: 10.1177/10775595211067208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Forensic interviewers are taught to pair yes-no questions with open-ended requests for recall in order to reduce the likelihood that they will be misled by false "yes" responses. However, yes-no questions may elicit false "no" responses. Questioning 112 6- to 11-year-old maltreated children about three innocuous events (outside activities, yesterday, last birthday), this study compared the productivity of paired yes-no questions about perceptions, conversations, and actions involving the hands and mouth (e.g., "Did you say anything?") with wh-questions (e.g., "What did you say?"). The wh-questions presupposed that children had content to provide, but did not specify that content. Children were twice as likely to deny content and half as likely to provide novel information when interviewers asked them yes-no questions. Younger children were more inclined than older children to deny content and give unelaborated "yes" responses. The results support further research into the potential for suppositional wh-questions to increase child witnesses' productivity.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Thomas D Lyon
- 5116University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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2
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Bruer KC, Williams S, Evans AD. Lawyers' experience questioning children in Canadian court. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2022; 134:105930. [PMID: 36302285 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2022.105930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Revised: 10/07/2022] [Accepted: 10/12/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND International research has explored lawyer-child interactions in court; however, little focus has been spent examining other aspects of lawyers' interactions with children (e.g., interview preparation; building rapport). OBJECTIVE The present study investigated lawyer's self-reported interactions with child witnesses. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING Participants included 96 lawyers (Mage = 40.34, SD = 11.07; 52 % female) practicing in Canada with experience questioning child witnesses (under 18 years old). METHODS A survey was used to gather self-reported data on how lawyers prepare for, question, and respond to children as witnesses in court. We then explored whether these strategies differed depending on the role of the Canadian lawyer (i.e., prosecution or defence), experience, or gender. RESULTS Results indicate that lawyers report and demonstrate knowledge consistent with current best practices in questioning children. While gender and experience did not appear to play a strong role in lawyer-child interactions, prosecutors reported behavior more consistent with best practices compared to defence lawyers. CONCLUSIONS These findings provide important insight into strengths and weaknesses of lawyer-child interactions in court as well as highlight a strong need for future research to examine the link between self-reported behavior (i.e., perceived behavior) with observable behavior (i.e., actual behavior) in lawyer-child interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaila C Bruer
- Department of Psychology, Luther College at the University of Regina, 3737 Wascana Parkway, Regina, Saskatchewan S4S 0A2, Canada.
| | - Shanna Williams
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Room 614, Education Building, 3700 McTavish Street, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y2, Canada.
| | - Angela D Evans
- Department of Psychology, Brock University, 1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way, St. Catharines, ON L2S 3A1, Canada.
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3
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Talwar V, Lavoie J. Lie-telling for personal gain in children with and without externalizing behavior problems. J Exp Child Psychol 2022; 219:105385. [PMID: 35217368 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2022.105385] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/16/2021] [Revised: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 01/18/2022] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Few studies have examined the lie-telling behavior of children who have externalizing problems using experimental procedures. In the current study, children's lie-telling for personal gain (N = 110 boys aged 6-11 years) was examined using an experimental paradigm in relation to their theory-of-mind abilities and inhibitory control as well as their moral evaluations of truths and lies. Children with externalizing behavior problems (n = 53) were significantly more likely to lie and to be less skilled at lying than a typical comparison group (n = 57). Children who had lower theory-of-mind scores were significantly less likely to tell a lie for personal gain compared with those who had higher theory-of-mind scores. Children with externalizing problems who told personal gain lies were also more likely to rate tattle truths more positively than other children. For a subsample of children (n = 55), parent-reported diaries of the frequency of children's lies over 2 weeks revealed a higher frequency of lies by children with externalizing problems compared with the typical comparison group. Children whose parents reported a high frequency of lies for their children were also more likely to lie in the experimental personal gain lie paradigm. Results suggest that children with externalizing behavior may have a different pattern of lie-telling than has been previously reported for normative lie development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria Talwar
- Department of Educational & Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec H3A 1Y2, Canada.
| | - Jennifer Lavoie
- Moray House School of Education and Sport, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH8 8AQ, UK
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4
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Henderson HM, Konovalov H, Williams S, Lyon TD. The Utility of the Birthday Prompt in Narrative Practice with Maltreated and Non-maltreated 4- to 9-year-old Children. APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL SCIENCE 2022; 26:679-688. [PMID: 36339797 PMCID: PMC9635579 DOI: 10.1080/10888691.2021.1963729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/03/2023]
Abstract
Forensic interviewers are encouraged to elicit a practice narrative from children in order to train them to answer free recall questions with narrative information. Although asking children about their last birthday has been recommended, concerns have been raised that many children will have nothing to report. This study asked 994 4- to 9-year-old maltreated and non-maltreated children to recall their last birthday. Although a fair number of children initially failed to recall information (9%), virtually all children recalled information with persistent encouragement (99%). Younger children and maltreated children were less responsive and spoke less, but nevertheless, 93% of the youngest children (4-year-olds) and 97% of maltreated children recalled information with persistent encouragement. The results suggest that children's failures to recall information about birthdays are predominantly attributable to a failure to provide additional support.
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5
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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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6
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Gongola J, Williams S, Lyon TD. Children's
under‐informative
responding is associated with concealment of a transgression. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3840] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Gongola
- Gould School of Law University of Southern California Los Angeles California USA
| | - Shanna Williams
- Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, Faculty of Education McGill University Montreal Quebec Canada
| | - Thomas D. Lyon
- Gould School of Law University of Southern California Los Angeles California USA
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7
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The dynamics of two-session interviews with suspected victims of abuse who are reluctant to make allegations. Dev Psychopathol 2021; 33:739-747. [PMID: 33436116 DOI: 10.1017/s0954579420001820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Supportive forensic interviews conducted in accordance with the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Revised Protocol (RP) help many alleged victims describe abusive experiences. When children remain reluctant to make allegations, the RP guides interviewers to (a) focus on rapport building and nonsuggestive support in a first interview, and (b) plan a second interview to allow continued rapport building before exploring for possible abuse. We explored the dynamics of such two-session RP interviews. Of 204 children who remained reluctant in an initial interview, we focused on 104 who made allegations when re-interviewed a few days later. A structural equation model revealed that interviewer support during the first session predicted children's cooperation during the rapport-building phase of the second session, which, in turn, predicted more spontaneous allegations, which were associated with the interviewers' enhanced use of open-ended questions. Together, these factors mediated the effects of support on children's free recall of forensically important information. This highlighted the importance of emphasizing rapport with reluctant children, confirming that some children may need more time to build rapport even with supportive interviewers.
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8
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Gongola J, Quas JA, Clark SE, Lyon TD. Adults' difficulties in identifying concealment among children interviewed with the putative confession instructions. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3729] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
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9
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Domagalski K, Gongola J, Lyon TD, Clark SE, Quas JA. Detecting children's true and false denials of wrongdoing: Effects of question type and base rate knowledge. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW 2020; 38:612-629. [PMID: 33236788 PMCID: PMC7913390 DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2020] [Revised: 09/30/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
One common and unfortunately overlooked obstacle to the detection of sexual abuse is non-disclosure by children. Non-disclosure in forensic interviews may be expressed via concealment in response to recall questions or via active denials in response to recognition (e.g., yes/no) questions. In two studies, we evaluated whether adults' ability to discern true and false denials of wrongdoing by children varied as a function of the types of interview question the children were asked. Results suggest that adults are not good at detecting deceptive denials of wrongdoing by children, even when the adults view children narrate their experiences in response to recall questions rather than provide one word answers to recognition questions. In Study 1, adults exhibited a consistent "truth bias," leading them toward believing children, regardless of whether the children's denials were true or false. In Study 2, adults were given base-rate information about the occurrence of true and false denials (50% of each). The information eliminated the adults' truth bias but did not improve their overall detection accuracy, which still hovered near chance. Adults did, however, perceive children's denials as slightly more credible when they emerged in response to recall rather than recognition questions, especially when children were honestly denying wrongdoing. Results suggest the need for caution when evaluating adults' judgments of children's veracity when the children fail to disclose abuse.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Thomas D Lyon
- University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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10
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Earhart B, Lakhani N, Roberts KP. Developmental trends in children's source and destination memory. J Exp Child Psychol 2020; 202:104995. [PMID: 33096368 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2020.104995] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/27/2019] [Revised: 08/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Destination memory (the ability to remember who one has told information to) has been studied in adult samples, but not with child participants. The goals of the current research were to describe the development of children's destination memory abilities across early to middle childhood and to compare destination memory with source-monitoring abilities within the same age range. In two studies, children aged 5-10 years had conversations with two puppets and were later asked to recall which puppet they had disclosed specific information to. Study 1 (N = 86) revealed age to be a significant predictor of destination memory accuracy. Study 2 (N = 90) demonstrated that source memory and destination memory were related and shared a similar developmental trajectory but that source accuracy was higher on average than destination accuracy. This research contributes to our theoretical understanding of children's memory development, and directions for future research are highlighted in the Discussion. Implications for investigative interviews in which children are asked about prior disclosures are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Becky Earhart
- Centre for Investigative Interviewing, Griffith Criminology Institute, Griffith University, Brisbane (Mount Gravatt), Queensland 4122, Australia.
| | - Nilam Lakhani
- Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5, Canada
| | - Kim P Roberts
- Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario N2L 3C5, Canada
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11
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Okanda M, Taniguchi K. Preschoolers say “no” to ambiguous yes–no questions. JOURNAL OF APPLIED DEVELOPMENTAL PSYCHOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appdev.2020.101143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
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12
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Williams S, McWilliams K, Lyon T. Children's concealment of a minor transgression: The role of age, maltreatment, and executive functioning. J Exp Child Psychol 2019; 191:104664. [PMID: 31785549 DOI: 10.1016/j.jecp.2019.104664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2019] [Revised: 07/08/2019] [Accepted: 07/09/2019] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
Abstract
This study examined the role of age, maltreatment status, and executive functioning on 752 4- to 9-year-old maltreated and nonmaltreated children's recall disclosure of a transgression in which the children appeared to have broken toys while playing with a stranger. Interviewers used narrative practice rapport building and then questioned children with free recall and cued recall questions. Younger and maltreated children were more likely to disclose during rapport building, whereas older and nonmaltreated children were more likely to disclose in response to recall questions. Working memory deficits appeared to mediate the relation between children's characteristics and disclosure during rapport but not during recall. The results demonstrate that how children are questioned affects the relations between deception and age, maltreatment, and executive functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shanna Williams
- Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA.
| | - Kelly McWilliams
- Department of Psychology, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York, New York, NY 10019, USA
| | - Thomas Lyon
- Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA 90089, USA
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13
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Bruer KC, Zanette S, Ding XP, Lyon TD, Lee K. Identifying Liars Through Automatic Decoding of Children's Facial Expressions. Child Dev 2019; 91:e995-e1011. [PMID: 31682003 DOI: 10.1111/cdev.13336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
This study explored whether children's (N = 158; 4- to 9 years old) nonverbal facial expressions can be used to identify when children are being deceptive. Using a computer vision program to automatically decode children's facial expressions according to the Facial Action Coding System, this study employed machine learning to determine whether facial expressions can be used to discriminate between children who concealed breaking a toy(liars) and those who did not break a toy(nonliars). Results found that, regardless of age or history of maltreatment, children's facial expressions could accurately (73%) be distinguished between liars and nonliars. Two emotions, surprise and fear, were more strongly expressed by liars than nonliars. These findings provide evidence to support the use of automatically coded facial expressions to detect children's deception.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Thomas D Lyon
- University of Southern California-Gould School of Law
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14
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Lavoie J, Dickerson KL, Redlich AD, Quas JA. Overcoming Disclosure Reluctance in Youth Victims of Sex Trafficking: New Directions for Research, Policy, and Practice. PSYCHOLOGY, PUBLIC POLICY, AND LAW : AN OFFICIAL LAW REVIEW OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COLLEGE OF LAW AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF LAW 2019; 25:225-238. [PMID: 32103880 PMCID: PMC7043240 DOI: 10.1037/law0000205] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
An alarming number of youth worldwide are victims of commercial sexual exploitation, particularly sex trafficking. Normative developmental processes and motivations across the adolescent period-the age when youth are at greatest risk for trafficking-combined with their history, make them highly likely to be reluctant to disclose their exploitation to police, who often encounter victims because they are suspected of delinquency and crime and who interrogate the victims as suspects. Little scientific and policy attention has been devoted to understanding how to question these victims in a way that reduces their disclosure reluctance and increases their provision of legally relevant information. In the current review, we describe research concerning trafficking victims' histories and exploitative experiences, juvenile suspects' and victims' encounters with the legal system, and best-practice forensic interviewing approaches to elicit disclosures from child victims. We highlight the implications of these areas for understanding the dynamics between how police encounter and interact with adolescent trafficking victims and whether and how the victims disclose trafficking details during these interactions. We close with an agenda for research to test interviewing methods for suspected victims of sex trafficking and with policy and practice recommendations for interviewers.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kelli L Dickerson
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine
| | | | - Jodi A Quas
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine
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15
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Stolzenberg SN, Morse SJ, Haverkate DL, Garcia‐Johnson AM. The prevalence of declarative and indirect yes/no Questions when children testify in criminal cases of child sexual abuse in the United States. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/acp.3607] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Stephanie J. Morse
- School of Criminology & Criminal JusticeArizona State University Phoenix Arizona
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16
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Gongola J, Scurich N, Lyon TD. Effects of the putative confession instruction on perceptions of children's true and false statements. APPLIED COGNITIVE PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 33:655-661. [PMID: 33574640 DOI: 10.1002/acp.3483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The putative confession (PC) instruction (i.e., "[suspect] told me everything that happened and wants you to tell the truth") during forensic interviews with children has been shown to increase the accuracy of children's statements, but it is unclear whether adults' perceptions are sensitive to this salutary effect. The present study examined how adults perceive children's true and false responses to the PC instruction. Participants (n = 299) watched videotaped interviews of children and rated the child's credibility and the truthfulness of his/her statements. When viewing children's responses to the PC instruction, true and false statements were rated as equally credible, and there was a decrease in accuracy for identifying false denials as lies. These findings suggest that participants viewed the PC instruction as truth-inducing. Implications for the forensic use of the PC instruction are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer Gongola
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Nicholas Scurich
- Department of Psychological Science, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA.,Department of Criminology, Law and Society, University of California, Irvine, Irvine, California, USA
| | - Thomas D Lyon
- Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, USA
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17
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Stolzenberg SN, McWilliams K, Lyon TD. Children's Conversational Memory Regarding a Minor Transgression and a Subsequent Interview. PSYCHOLOGY, PUBLIC POLICY, AND LAW : AN OFFICIAL LAW REVIEW OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA COLLEGE OF LAW AND THE UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI SCHOOL OF LAW 2018; 24:379-392. [PMID: 30479470 PMCID: PMC6251411 DOI: 10.1037/law0000176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/29/2023]
Abstract
Children's memories for their conversations are commonly explored in child abuse cases. In two studies, we examined conversational recall in 154 4- to 9-year-old children's reports of an interaction with a stranger, some of whom were complicit in a transgression and were admonished to keep it a secret. Immediately afterwards, all children were interviewed about their interaction. One week later, children were asked recall questions about their interaction with the stranger, their conversations with the stranger, and their conversations with the interviewer. Overall, interaction recall questions elicited few details about children's conversations, whereas conversation recall questions were effective in doing so. Accuracy was high in response to both the interaction and conversation recall questions, with no differences observed. Questions explicitly inquiring about coaching elicited higher error rates, as well as apparent attempts to maintain secrecy. Source errors were rare. Conversation recall questions elicited new transgression disclosures among a substantial percentage of children. The results provide tentative support for the use of recall questions in eliciting conversational information from children.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kelly McWilliams
- John Jay School of Criminal Justice, City University of New York
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18
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White C, Shanley DC, Zimmer-Gembeck MJ, Walsh K, Hawkins R, Lines K. "Tell, tell, tell again": The prevalence and correlates of young children's response to and disclosure of an in-vivo lure from a stranger. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2018; 82:134-143. [PMID: 29902696 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.06.001] [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] [Received: 01/27/2018] [Revised: 05/28/2018] [Accepted: 06/01/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Despite being a key target outcome to prevent child maltreatment, little research has been conducted to examine the prevalence and predictors of interpersonal safety skills in a standardised manner. In this study, interpersonal safety skills were measured in a Year 1-2 student sample through use of a standardised simulated risk scenario, with three primary skills examined: withdrawal from an unknown confederate (motor safety response), verbal refusal of an abduction lure (verbal safety response) and disclosure of confederate presence. Children who participated in this study had not completed any prior behavioural skills training or child protective education programs. Overall, the prevalence of interpersonal safety skills varied, with 27% children withdrawing from the confederate, 48% refusing the lure and 83% disclosing the confederate's presence. For correlates, motor and verbal safety responses were positively associated with each other. However, the only other correlate of interpersonal safety skills was anxiety, with children who had greater anxiety disclosing earlier but also being more likely to agree to leave with the confederate. Future research may seek to examine whether these correlates remain present with different types of interpersonal safety risk (e.g., bullying) and to identify other potential predictors of interpersonal safety skill use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Codi White
- School of Applied Psychology and Menzies Health Institute of Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia.
| | - Dianne C Shanley
- School of Applied Psychology and Menzies Health Institute of Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia
| | - Melanie J Zimmer-Gembeck
- School of Applied Psychology and Menzies Health Institute of Queensland, Griffith University, Gold Coast, Australia
| | - Kerryann Walsh
- Faculty of Education, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia
| | - Russell Hawkins
- College of Healthcare Sciences, James Cook University, Cairns, Australia
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19
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Cleveland KC, Quas JA, Lyon TD. The effects of implicit encouragement and the putative confession on children's memory reports. CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT 2018; 80:113-122. [PMID: 29604502 PMCID: PMC5953828 DOI: 10.1016/j.chiabu.2018.03.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/08/2017] [Revised: 03/10/2018] [Accepted: 03/14/2018] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
The current study tested the effects of two interview techniques on children's report productivity and accuracy following exposure to suggestion: implicit encouragement (backchanneling, use of children's names) and the putative confession (telling children that a suspect "told me everything that happened and wants you to tell the truth"). One hundred and forty-three, 3-8-year-old children participated in a classroom event. One week later, they took part in a highly suggestive conversation about the event and then a mock forensic interview in which the two techniques were experimentally manipulated. Greater use of implicit encouragement led to increases, with age, in children's narrative productivity. Neither technique improved or reduced children's accuracy. No increases in errors about previously suggested information were evident when children received either technique. Implications for the use of these techniques in child forensic interviews are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kyndra C Cleveland
- Vanderbilt University, Department of Psychology and Human Development, Peabody College, 230 Appleton Place #552, Jesup Building Room 105, Nashville, TN 37203-5721, United States.
| | - Jodi A Quas
- 4328 Social & Behavioral Sciences Gateway, University of California, 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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20
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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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Ahern EC, Stolzenberg SN, McWilliams K, Lyon TD. The Effects of Secret Instructions and Yes/no Questions on Maltreated and Non-maltreated Children's Reports of a Minor Transgression. BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES & THE LAW 2016; 34:784-802. [PMID: 28229484 PMCID: PMC6336110 DOI: 10.1002/bsl.2277] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2016] [Revised: 01/06/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2017] [Indexed: 05/11/2023]
Abstract
This study examined the effects of secret instructions (distinguishing between good/bad secrets and encouraging disclosure of bad secrets) and yes/no questions (DID: "Did the toy break?" versus DYR: "Do you remember if the toy broke?") on 262 maltreated and non-maltreated children's (age range 4-9 years) reports of a minor transgression. Over two-thirds of children failed to disclose the transgression in response to free recall (invitations and cued invitations). The secret instruction increased disclosures early in free recall, but was not superior to no instruction when combined with cued invitations. Yes/no questions specifically asking about the transgression elicited disclosures from almost half of the children who had not previously disclosed, and false alarms were rare. DYR questions led to ambiguous responding among a substantial percentage of children, particularly younger children. The findings highlight the difficulties of eliciting transgression disclosures without direct questions. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Kelly McWilliams
- Correspondence to: Dr. Kelly McWilliams, Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, 699 Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90089-0071.
| | - Thomas D. Lyon
- Gould School of Law, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA
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