Effects of Cognitive Questioning Techniques on Children's Recall Performance (From Child Victims, Child Witnesses, 1993, P 71-93, G. Goodman and B. Bottoms, eds.)

• NCJ Number: 156961
• Author(s): R E Geiselman; K J Saywitz; G K Bornstein
• Date Published: 1993
• Length: 23 pages
• Grant Number(s): 88-IJ-CX-0033
• Sponsoring Agency: National Institute of Justice (NIJ); US Dept of Justice NIJ Pub
• Sale Source: Guilford Publications, Inc.
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

This study aimed to replicate the usefulness of cognitive interview procedures with a large sample of children, to use recorded interviews to refine all phases and segments of the cognitive interview process for children, and to evaluate the effects of a practice interview with children about an innocuous staged event prior to their being interviewed about the event targeted for investigation.

Abstract

A sample of 34 third-graders were assigned to one of three interview conditions: cognitive interviewing with practice, cognitive interviewing without practice, and standard interviewing. The results of this study showed that cognitive questioning techniques can enhance the completeness and accuracy of children's recall of specific events, and that children will do even better when they have an opportunity to practice cognitive questioning procedures prior to receiving a cognitive interview about the event of legal significance. Practice serves to clarify the methods to be used in the later interview, to encourage children to use the techniques spontaneously, and to give children a chance to be interviewed about their episodic memories by unfamiliar adults. 2 tables and 46 references