Interviewing preschoolers: Comparisons of yes/no and wh- questions.

Abstract

This study investigated the influence of question format on preschool-aged children's errors, their response accuracy, and their tendency to say "I don't know" when given non-misleading questions in a neutral, unbiased context. Children (3 to 5 years old) participated in a craft-making session that included a staged "accident" with two experimenters differing in gender and appearance; the environment also had several distinctive features. One week later children were interviewed about actions, participants, and environment; questions were yes/no format with the veridical response "yes" ("yes" questions), yes/no format with the veridical response "no" ("no" questions), and specific wh-format questions. Question format substantially influenced children's responses: they were most likely to make errors if asked "no" questions, and were unlikely to answer either yes/no question with "I don't know." In contrast, children spontaneously and frequently said "I don't know" to wh-questions about content they did not recall (environment), but not about content that was well recalled (actions). Implications of question format for reliability of eyewitness testimony by preschoolers are discussed.With the burgeoning participation of preschoolers in police investigations and in courtrooms as witnesses, increased attention is being paid to how well children this young can recall and accurately report on events for which they were eyewitnesses. A number of investigators have suggested that preschoolers can in fact recall a great deal of information accurately (

Exploring Parent–Child Discussions of Crime and their Influence on Children's Memory

“…More information is obtained when open-ended questions are asked (Sternberg et al, 2002), but direct questions may be needed to ensure the completeness of children's reports (Hutcheson et al, 1995;Poole & Lindsay, 1995). When children are asked direct questions however, they often make mistakes in their responses (Larsson et al, 2003;Peterson et al, 1999). Regardless of the type of question asked, information that suggests to a child what might have happened needs to be excluded (Cassel et al, 1996;Thompson et al, 1997).…”

Low‐SES Children's Eyewitness Memory: The Effects of Verbal Labels and Vocabulary Skills

“…to obtain more complete reports (Lamb et al, 1996;Orbach et al, 2000;Sternberg, Lamb, Esplin, & Baradaran, 1999;Sternberg et al, 1997). However, children usually give less accurate responses when answering such questions than when answering free recall questions (e.g., Kulkofsky, Wang, & Ceci, 2008;Peterson, Dowden, & Tobin, 1999). Therefore, identifying means to maximize both the quantity and accuracy of information children recount is imperative.…”

Sequential Interviews with Preschool Children in Norwegian Barnahus

“…and choice questions (did he hit you one time or more than one time?) often lead to incomplete and incorrect answers (Lamb et al , 2003Peterson et al 1999). …”