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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Mar 27, 2026

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime

An Experimental Analysis of Children's Ability to Provide a False Report about a Crime

Published on: May 3, 2016

Child perceptions of note-taking in forensic interviews.

Michelle Dang¹, Zoe Bishop¹, Kayla D Schick¹

¹Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, H3A 0G4, Canada.

Child Abuse & Neglect

|March 25, 2026

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

Forensic interview note-taking increased child nervousness but did not impact comfort or relationship quality. Further research is needed to minimize distress during child maltreatment investigations.

Keywords:

Behavioural cues Child maltreatment Child perceptions Forensic interviewing Note-taking Rapport

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Area of Science:

Child Psychology
Forensic Interviewing
Investigative Practices

Background:

Forensic interviewers aim for accurate child narratives while ensuring wellbeing and safety.
Note-taking may improve disclosure but its effect on children's comfort and rapport is unknown.
Existing research on adult clinical settings shows mixed results regarding note-taking.

Purpose of the Study:

To examine children's perceptions of interviewer note-taking in forensic interviews.
To assess the impact of note-taking on child comfort, nervousness, and interviewer relationship quality.
To understand how note-taking influences perceived child wellbeing during investigations.

Main Methods:

Ninety-four children (average age 9.66) viewed interview videos under varied note-taking conditions.
Children rated their comfort and nervousness levels post-viewing.
Perceptions of interviewer friendliness and relationship quality were also assessed.

Main Results:

Note-taking significantly increased perceived child nervousness and participant-felt nervousness.
No significant effects were found for perceived or felt comfort.
Note-taking did not significantly impact perceived interviewer friendliness or relationship quality.

Conclusions:

Note-taking cues did not negatively affect perceived relationship quality or rapport.
Strategies to mitigate increased child nervousness during note-taking are necessary.
Further investigation into optimizing forensic interviewing techniques is recommended.