NCJ Number
129539
Journal
Behavioral Sciences and the Law Volume: 9 Issue: 1 Dated: (Winter 1991) Pages: 43-51
Date Published
1991
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Anatomically detailed (AD) dolls are used to assess the sexual knowledge and experiences of children who allegedly suffered abuse. The use of AD dolls may help those who are anxious or who have limited language capacity to describe their situations more accurately.
Abstract
A survey of child protection workers, law enforcement officers, doctors, and mental health professionals revealed that over a third used AD dolls and another 25 percent intended to use them in the future. However, the survey also showed that few professionals had been trained in the use of AD dolls and that different professionals varied in their assessment of the same child behaviors during AD doll interviews. Some recent suggestions have been made to standardize the use of AD dolls. The three main empirical strategies used to assess how children interact with AD dolls have included comparative studies between abused and non-abused children, correlational studies of large groups of non-abused children, and analogue studies involving the manipulation of non-abused children's experiences. The literature suggests that AD dolls can be useful in reconstructing events, but should not be used as a behavioral test for sexual abuse. 29 references (Author abstract modified)