Anatomically Detailed Dolls and Validation Interviews: Standardization, Norms, and Training Issues

• NCJ Number: 152822
• Journal: Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume: 21 Issue: 1/2 Dated: (1994) Pages: 45-72
• Author(s): L J Skinner; M K Giles; K K Berry
• Date Published: 1994
• Length: 28 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Portions of paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Psychological Society, 1992, San Diego

Annotation

Anatomically detailed (AD) dolls have become a popular clinical tool in the validation of child sexual abuse allegations, but the widespread use of these dolls is not supported by the empirical literature.

Abstract

In addition to their use by law enforcement officers and child protection workers in the investigation of child sexual abuse, AD dolls have been employed by attorneys, mental health professionals, and physicians to validate sexual abuse. The authors critically consider issues associated with the standardization of dolls, norms for doll use in validation interviews, and training for doll users. They believe that the American Psychological Association's endorsement of AD dolls in forensic evaluations is premature and perhaps harmful by conveying that AD dolls represent an effective tool in child sexual abuse validation interviews. The authors conclude that the use of AD dolls as validation tools is not currently justified based on the empirical literature. 62 references