NCJ Number
194891
Journal
International Journal of Police Science and Management Volume: 4 Issue: 1 Dated: Spring 2002 Pages: 62-72
Date Published
2002
Length
11 pages
Annotation
This article focuses on children’s false memory created in the interaction between young children and adult interviewers in natural settings.
Abstract
False memory is where people sometimes develop vivid and detailed recollections of events that never happened. An important factor in the process of false memory is a schema or script that is constructed through repetition of a particular event in a social and variable environment. The other factor is social interaction. Ten children went through the following stages of the experiment: before the event (interaction with kindergarten pupils), the event (meeting a child and taking child away), after the event (informing children that child was found), interview (asking children about the event), and procedure after the interview (interviewers exchanging information). The children were interviewed about the event five times after 5 days. The results are based on the recorded process of interviews and meetings, children’s paintings of the target person, and a report by interviewers. Results showed that although the children had a good memory for what was consistent with their knowledge (familiar events), they often created false memories for events that were inconsistent with their knowledge (unfamiliar events). The schema and the script affected children’s false memory. The results concern the relationships between source monitoring confusions and false memory creation. Results indicate the effect of knowledge on memory and suggestibility. Knowledge affected memory not only for the children but also for the adults. All interviewers need to keep in mind that the interviewing process can distort an interviewee’s memory. 3 tables, 27 references