NCJ Number
158181
Journal
Law and Human Behavior Volume: 19 Issue: 5 Dated: (October 1995) Pages: 507-532
Date Published
1995
Length
26 pages
Annotation
One hundred sixty adults, 8-year-olds, and 6-year-olds viewed a video of two children arguing over a bicycle and were asked free-recall and cued-recall as well as positive and negative leading questions in multiple interviewed to determine age-related patterns of eyewitness memory and suggestibility in case involving a misdemeanor.
Abstract
Results revealed age differences for correct free recall but not for unbiased cued recall. Unbiased cues evoked more correct and incorrect responses from all participants. Incorrect free recall was near floor levels. Forgetting for all ages was comparable when based on levels of initial free recall but was greater for the children when based on what was remembers to unbiased cued-recall questions. Age differences existed for suggestibility; the 6-year-olds were more suggestible to the negative leading questions than were participants in the other two age groups. Adults demonstrated a rejection bias. Compared to children, adults correctly recalled more peripheral items. Changes answers were most common for 6-year-olds. Figure, tables, and 31 references (Author abstract modified)