A meta-analysis of differences in children’s reports of single and repeated events.

Abstract

When children report abuse, they often report that it occurred repeatedly. In most jurisdictions, children will be asked to report each instance of abuse with as many details as possible. In the current metaanalysis, we analyzed data from 31 experiments and 3099 children. When accuracy was defined as the number of correct details from the target instance (i.e., narrow definition), repeated-event children were less accurate than single-event children. However, we argue that defining accuracy as the number of reported details that were experienced across instances (i.e., broad definition) is more appropriate for repeated events. When a broad definition was applied, single-and repeated-event children were similarly accurate. Importantly, repeated-event children were less likely than single-event children to report details that had never been experienced and they were no more likely to say "I don't know."Overall, repeated-event children were more suggestible than single-event children, but this was moderated by length of delay to recall. In analyses of recognition data, single-event children's sensitivity score was higher than repeated-event children's, with no significant difference in response bias as a function of event frequency. We discuss these results in the context of how children's memory for repeated events is organized. We also consider the advantage of applying a broad definition of accuracy for victims of repeated abuse and charging repeated abuse as a continuous offense rather than discrete acts.Public Significance. This meta-analysis suggests a legal requirement to remember details of a particular occurrence is more challenging for children who experienced several similar instances of an event than for those who experienced a single instance of an event. However, when particularization of instances

Adults also have difficulty recalling one instance of a repeated event

“…In the current experiment, repeated‐event participants were less accurate than single‐event participants when accuracy was narrowly defined as details recalled from the target episode, a result that is consistent with the findings of a large number of child studies (Woiwod et al, 2019). When accuracy was broadly defined as experienced details however, single and repeated‐event participants were equivalent in accuracy.…”

“…In addition to encoding more generic details, older children and adults also tend to remember a greater quantity of episode-specific details than children. Indeed, older children tend to recall more details than younger children and are more accurate in attributing the detail to the target episode (Woiwod et al, 2019). Thus, adults can hold a greater number of details, and details of greater complexity within their scripts relative to children.…”

“…Relative to children who experience a unique event, children who participate in multiple events typically have a superior memory for fixed details (Connolly & Lindsay, 2001). Repeated‐event children, however, tend to report fewer correct variable details about the target event (Price, Connolly, & Gordon, 2006, 2016) and more internal intrusions (i.e., recall of features that were experienced, but not during the episode they were questioned about; Woiwod, Fitzgerald, Sheahan, Price, & Connolly, 2019). Recently, researchers have begun to redefine memory accuracy for repeated‐events, considering details recalled from any episode as accurate (i.e., experienced details).…”

“…Recently, researchers have begun to redefine memory accuracy for repeated‐events, considering details recalled from any episode as accurate (i.e., experienced details). When accuracy is defined in this way, the accuracy of single‐ and repeated‐event participants is equivalent (Woiwod et al, 2019).…”

Liars are perceived as more credible than truth‐tellers who recall a repeated event

“…To date, research on repeated‐event memory has typically utilised a child sample due to its applied relevance to recurring childhood sexual abuse. Experiments which examine children's memory for repeated events employ a methodological paradigm which is designed to be an ethically analogous experience for recurring abuse (see Woiwod, Fitzgerald, Sheahan, Price, & Connolly, 2019 for a review). In these experiments, children typically experience one or multiple structured play sessions.…”