Making memories: The gestural misinformation effect in children aged 11-16-years-old with intellectual/developmental...

In 2016, global records documented around 1 billion child abuse cases, with higher rates among children with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), and most recorded offenses not proceeding to court. Accurate eyewitness testimony is vital for the justice system. Yet, while children with IDD are known to be influenced by verbal misinformation, the effect of gestures on their testimony is still unknown.

The present study assessed the extent to which gesture can mislead children with IDD, alongside comparisons to prior research in typically developing (TD) children.

A sample of children with moderate IDD aged 11-16 years (n = 21, M=12.95 years) were recruited from a UK school, and compared to TD 5-6-year-olds (n = 31, M=5.77 years) and 7-8-year-olds (n = 32, M=7.66 years) from previous published research. After watching a video participants underwent an interview containing 12 questions, some of which contained suggestive gestures.

Results demonstrated that in children with IDD, gesture observation significantly influenced responses given, with 18 of 21 children being misled at least once. Comparisons to TD children indicated no difference in suggestibility. This study is the first to examine how leading gestural information affects children with IDD, broadening previous research to a more representative sample for the justice system. Discussion centres on implications for police interview guidelines.