NCJ Number
141030
Date Published
1991
Length
24 pages
Annotation
Research regarding the cognitive competency of juvenile witnesses is reviewed, with emphasis on its implications for interviews of children believed to be victims of child sexual abuse.
Abstract
The three distinct stages in the memorization process are encoding, storage, and retrieval. Each can improve with increasing age and experience. Laboratory research suggests that the child's initial unprompted account is likely to be the most reliable source of information. Once questioning begins, more information is made available by the child being questioned, but at the expense of a higher rate of error. However, the use of cueing or social support has reduced inaccuracy to a minimum under experimental conditions. Suggestibility appears to be a situational factor rather than a universal trait among children; prompt interviewing by an interrogator who is aware of the dynamics of suggestibility and compliance is important. Accuracy and credibility are also important concerns; statement analysis is the most developed system for assessing the credibility of children's testimony. Although further research is needed regarding the prowess and problems of juvenile witnesses, the available research has refuted long-standing assumptions that children are unreliable witnesses. Nevertheless, interviewers must carefully balance the need to secure an accurate and complete account from the while following the rules of evidence on the use of leading questions and hearsay. 81 references