Effects of Interviewer Support on Maltreated and At-Risk Children’s Memory and Suggestibility

Abstract

The present study examined the effects of interviewer support on the memory and suggestibility of children (N = 71), all of whom were involved in child maltreatment investigations. This was accomplished by questioning 3-to 12-year olds (66% African American) about a game played individually with an experimenter at the end of the maltreatment investigation, so that the results did not affect any evaluations or legal proceedings. After the game, the children were interviewed in a warm and engaging high support manner or in a relatively formal and withdrawn low support fashion-the latter, likely considered by some as "neutral" in child forensic interviews. Typical age effects emerged overall; for example, with the preschool (compared to school-aged) children providing fewer correct units of information in free recall and making more errors to specific and misleading questions. However, findings also varied in relation to interviewer support and type of question. To specific questions, older (but not younger) children in the low (compared to high) interviewer support condition made more omission errors, possibly due to the interviewer's low support resulting in a "no bias" for older children in answering these questions. To misleading questions, younger (but not older) children in the high (compared to low) support condition made significantly more commission errors. The elevated commission error rate in the high support group appeared to be driven by a small number of 3-and 4-year-olds who had a "yes-bias" when answering misleading questions. Implications for children's accuracy in maltreatment investigations and for children's psychological and physical security are discussed.

Memoria emocional en niñas y niños preescolares de diferentes condiciones socio-ambientales

“…Comparación de la variable recuerdo libre de imágenes negativas y totales en función del sexo (femenino, masculino) de las/os participantes En el mismo sentido que la literatura, estos hallazgos permiten vincular a la edad como un predictor fiable del desempeño de la memoria de información con diferente valencia (Baugerud y Melinder, 2012;Courage y Cowan, 2008). Las investigaciones que abordaron el papel de la edad sobre la memoria emocional en distintos momentos del desarrollo, encontraron que las imágenes aversivas se recordaron mejor que las neutras en niñas, niños y adultas/os (Cordon et al, 2013;Eisen et al, 2019). La semejanza entre el desempeño de niñas y niños (7 a 9 años) y adultas/os podría indicar que, en ese momento del desarrollo, ya se encuentran estabilizados los procesos de memoria de la información con diferente valencia.…”

“…De acuerdo a los hallazgos de estas investigaciones, la efectividad de las variables de memoria emocional podría considerarse específica del procedimiento empleado para su evaluación (Cordon et al, 2013;Eisen et al, 2019). Así, el test de recuerdo libre daría lugar a la aparición de errores o variaciones en el desempeño que no se presentaron al evaluar la memoria a través del reconocimiento.…”

What children remember after talking with parents: Implications for children’s memory and testimony.

“…Yet, there may be age and situational differences in the effects of supportiveness and rapport on children's accuracy. For example, young maltreated children (3-year-olds) who have been deprived of positive parenting become more subject to error under supportive than nonsupportive interviewing (Eisen et al, 2019).…”

Children’s Eyewitness Lineup Accuracy One Year Later: The Role of Social Support and Working Memory Capacity

“…Specifically, children who are interviewed by a socially supportive interviewer are less likely to make errors in response to specific nonsuggestive questions and more resistant to suggestive questions. Interviewer support appears to have somewhat less influence on children's free recall in laboratory studies (e.g., Davis and Bottoms 2002;Eisen et al 2019;Quas, Wallin, Papini, Lench and Scullin 2005;but see Carter et al 1996;Goodman et al 1991a). Yet in field studies involving children who are interviewed about actual alleged abuse, those who were interviewed in a more (vs. less) supportive manner were less reluctant in their responses, gave more complete and detailed reports, and were more likely to disclose abuse (Hershkowitz 2011;Hershkowitz et al 2007Hershkowitz et al , 2015.…”