Children as Alibi Corroborators for Adults

Despite how frequently adults are alone with children, we know little about children's ability to corroborate alibis. In two studies, we investigated children's ability to act as alibi corroborators. In both studies, two visitors (one male, one female) attended children's summer camps to present science activities to the children. In the pilot study (N = 83; M_age = 7.1 years), for half of the children, the female researcher left the room for one of the activities. Children were then interviewed about the adults' whereabouts either immediately or 1 day later. In the main study (N = 147; M_age = 9.40), the female researcher left the room for one activity in a more salient manner, and all children were interviewed 3 days later. Across both studies, though there was substantial variability, many children did not report that the female researcher left (pilot study, 82%; main study, 32%), despite direct questions about her presence. All inaccurate reports of an adult leaving were in response to the most direct (yes/no) question. These findings suggest that children are largely accurate in corroborating an alibi for someone who did not leave, but many children err when someone does leave. The present studies have implications for how to question children about an adult's whereabouts.