This study tested the effects of narrative practice rapport building (asking open-ended questions about a neutral event) and a putative confession (telling the child an adult “told me everything that happened and he wants you to tell the truth”) on 4- to 9-year-old maltreated and nonmaltreated children's reports of an interaction with a stranger who asked them to keep toy breakage a secret (N = 264). Only one-third of children who received no interview manipulations disclosed breakage; in response to a putative confession, one-half disclosed. Narrative practice rapport building did not affect the likelihood of disclosure. Maltreated children and nonmaltreated children responded similarly to the manipulations. Neither narrative practice rapport building nor a putative confession increased false reports.

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Developmental factors affect the way that children and young people behave in legal contexts. We first discuss developmental factors such as cognitive and emotional development, social expectations and suggestibility that affect young victims and suspects. We then describe some implications of these developmental factors for police interviewers and for the youth justice system more generally and call for the more differentiated treatment of young people according to their age and development.

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