Related Experiment Videos
Adults' Perceptions of Children's Referentially Ambiguous Responses
Breanne E Wylie1, Thomas D Lyon2, Alison M O'Connor1
1Brock University.
Psychology, Crime & Law : PC & L
|August 31, 2019
Summary
Adults often misinterpret children's ambiguous "Do You Know/Remember" (DYK/R) responses in legal settings. These questions lead to significant miscommunication, impacting case understanding and outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Legal Psychology
- Child Witness Testimony
Background:
- Child witnesses in legal proceedings often provide responses that can be ambiguous.
- Understanding how adults interpret these responses is crucial for accurate legal proceedings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine adult interpretations of child witnesses' referentially ambiguous "yes" and "no" responses to "Do You Know/Remember" (DYK/R) questions.
- To assess whether adults recognize the ambiguity in children's responses and how they interpret them compared to direct questions.
Main Methods:
- Adult participants (N=295) reviewed modified child sexual abuse case transcripts.
- Transcripts varied by question format (DYK/R vs. Direct) and child response type (Yes, No, I don't know).
- A between-subjects design was employed to analyze interpretations.
Main Results:
- Adults rarely recognized children's ambiguous DYK/R responses as unclear.
- Interpretations were significantly influenced by the attorney's question format and the child's response.
- Adults frequently interpreted ambiguous responses as answering the implicit question rather than the explicit one.
Conclusions:
- "Do You Know/Remember" questions frequently lead to misinterpretation by adult listeners in legal contexts.
- This misinterpretation results in significant miscommunication, potentially affecting legal case outcomes.
- The study highlights the need for clearer questioning strategies when interviewing child witnesses.