NCJ Number
123793
Journal
Journal of Police Science and Administration Volume: 16 Issue: 4 Dated: (December 1988) Pages: 236-242
Date Published
1988
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Information from 15 children ages 7 to 12 in Los Angeles formed the basis of a study of the effectiveness of the cognitive interview with child witnesses.
Abstract
Each child viewed a videotape borrowed from the training academy of the Los Angeles Police Department. The film showed a liquor store holdup and included extensive quantifiable information regarding people, mannerisms, weapons, and sequences of events. The children were interviewed about what they had seen after a 3-day delay. The children were assigned randomly to standard or cognitive interview formats. The cognitive interview used memory guidance techniques in conjunction with the questions used in the standard interview. The interviews were tape recorded. Findings showed that the cognitive interviews produced 21 percent more correct bits of information than the standard interview, although the numbers of mistakes and confabulations did not vary according to the type of interview. However, the cognitive interviews were less effective than those used by law enforcement professionals with adults. Results indicated that the children may not have clearly understood or been able to use some of the cognitive techniques and suggested the desirability of adapting the cognitive interview for use with children. Tables and 57 references.