NCJ Number
157016
Journal
Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics of North America Volume: 3 Issue: 4 Dated: (October 1994) Pages: 645-661
Date Published
1994
Length
17 pages
Annotation
The authors of this article discuss interviewing children to elicit the most accurate renditions of their experiences with the least stress placed on children in the process.
Abstract
Attempts to protect children from sexual victimization generate concern about the accuracy of children's memories of abuse. In forensic, therapeutic, and medical contexts, suspicions of sexual abuse may prompt interviewing of children about sexual acts. Such interviews, however, raise many important questions, such as: Do children possess accurate eyewitness memories relevant to their own sexual victimization? and How can professionals obtain the most accurate memory reports about abuse from children? The authors present information relevant to these questions by reviewing experimental literature on children's memory, suggestibility, and communication skills. They review, among other subjects: normal memory development; memory and open-ended questions; trauma and memory; normal language development; innovative questioning techniques; practice implications; and limits of current knowledge. One of the authors' most notable findings is that age alone is not a sufficient indicator of the accuracy of a child's memory. References