Practice narratives enhance children’s memory reports

Australian Psychologist

2020

The standard interview method (SIM) is a guidance framework for information gathering interviews. This article describes the purpose, scope, origin, experimental basis, and practical application of the SIM. It provides an informative overview of developments to date for psychologists and researchers within the behavioural sciences, as well as for practitioners who might use the SIM. The SIM contains core evidence-based components but is otherwise open to tailoring and modifications to suit a variety of interviewing purposes such as policing, justice, education, and business. It provides an interview structure and exemplar dialogue, aligned with research into best-practice interview technique. Method: A detailed overview of the SIM's interview phases, instructions, and exemplar dialogue is provided. The basis for these elements is explained in terms of the experimental and qualitative research that has informed their development. Results: The SIM provides evidence-based guidance for investigative interviewers, and numerous versions have been created to suit different investigation types, interviewee groups, and jurisdictional or organisational requirements. It is continually refined as new findings from experimental research around best-practice interviewing emerge. Conclusions: Rather than a single entity or completed product, the SIM represents a dynamic evolution of research, collaboration, and testing. Its flexible nature will allow it to keep pace with the ever-progressing knowledge base that informs interview protocol and guidance development, and adapt to local cultures, legislation, processes, and systems of operation.

Section: Research Underlying the Core Phases And Variants Of The Simmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Research Underlying the Core Phases And Variants Of The Simmentioning

confidence: 99%

The origin, experimental basis, and application of the standard interview method: An information‐gathering framework

Powell

Australian Psychologist

2020

“…Narrative practice is a rapport building activity that gives children experience with the interview process, including responding to open-ended prompts about innocuous topics and gives the interviewer experience with the child (e.g., identifying potential barriers, communication style). It has been shown to increase the amount of information children produce about subsequently discussed substantive topics (e.g., Price et al, 2013;Sternberg et al, 1997;Whiting & Price, 2017). Narrative practice could serve to increase comfort, and a comfortable witness can give a more complete and accurate account (e.g., Vallano & Schreiber Compo, 2011).…”

Section: Narrative Practice May Foster Comfort But Not Enhance Cognitmentioning

confidence: 99%

Narrative practice may foster comfort but not enhance cognition in adult witness interviews about a mock sexual assault

The Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & Psychology

Sharman

Westera

et al. 2020

The present study tested the effectiveness of narrative practice on adult witnesses' reports about a mock sexual assault. Narrative practice is a rapport-building activity that involves recounting a neutral or pleasant event prior to discussing the target topic. Engaging in narrative practice tends to enhance children's reporting, but its utility with adults is unknown. Adults (n = 62) 18-to 62-years-old viewed a 7-minute video of a mock sexual assault and then were questioned with an open-ended protocol that began with narrative practice or not. Results showed that narrative practice did not appear to aid memory retrieval but may have increased comfort for some participants. Findings are discussed with regard to interviewing practice.

“…Asking children to provide a short practice narrative has many benefits, such as facilitating rapport, demonstrating to the child that s/he will be the main contributor to the interview, and familiarizing the child with the open‐ended questions that they will be asked during substantive interview phases (Price, Roberts, & Collins, ; Roberts, Lamb, & Sternberg, ; Whiting & Price, ; see Roberts, Brubacher, Powell, & Price, ; for a review). Including a practice narrative also increases the amount or accuracy (or both) of the information that children provide during subsequent substantive narratives (Roberts et al ., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…the interview, and familiarizing the child with the open-ended questions that they will be asked during substantive interview phases (Price, Roberts, & Collins, 2013;Roberts, Lamb, & Sternberg, 2004;Whiting & Price, 2017; see Roberts, Brubacher, Powell, & Price, 2011; for a review). Including a practice narrative also increases the amount or accuracy (or both) of the information that children provide during subsequent substantive narratives .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

The effects of one versus two episodically oriented practice narratives on children's reports of a repeated event

Danby

Sharman

et al. 2017

Legal Criminol Psychol

Purpose Previous research has found that children's reports of repeated events can be influenced by the presence and type of narrative practice in which they engage immediately prior to substantive recall. In particular, children's reports have been shown to benefit from practice providing narratives about an autobiographical repeated event. A gap remains, however, with regard to understanding whether practice narrating one episode of a repeated event encourages children to think about unique features of specific episodes, or whether practice of two episodes is required. The current study addressed this gap. Methods Five‐ to nine‐year‐olds (N = 167) experienced four classroom activity sessions and were later interviewed. Children provided a practice narrative about either one or two episodes of an autobiographical repeated event prior to discussing individual episodes of the activities. Results Older children recalled more details from the activities when they had practised recalling two episodes compared to one episode. Younger children did not benefit from the second episodic practice. Many similarities were observed across conditions for children of all ages. Conclusions Older children were likely receptive to the subtle differences between conditions because of their advanced cognitive abilities. Interviewers may assist older children to recall a larger amount of information if they first provide practice recalling two episodes of an autobiographical repeated event. However, a practice narrative about one episode may be sufficient to assist many children should two‐episode practice be unfeasible or interviewees are too young to benefit from recall of a second episode.