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Explaining conversation rules to children: an intervention study to facilitate children's accurate responses
1Free University, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Child Abuse & Neglect
|July 1, 1996
Summary
Explaining conversational rules to children during interviews, such as accepting "I don't know" answers and stating interviewers cannot help, significantly reduces their suggestibility and improves accuracy in reports.
Area of Science:
- Child Psychology
- Forensic Interviewing
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Growing concerns exist regarding social influences on children's interview reports.
- Previous research suggests teaching conversational rules may decrease inaccurate responses.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of specific conversational rules on children's suggestibility during interviews.
- To determine if informing children that 'I-don't-know' is acceptable and that interviewers cannot assist reduces inaccurate answers.
Main Methods:
- A 2x2 factorial design was employed with 114 children aged 4-10.
- Children watched a staged event and were subsequently interviewed.
- Two experimental conditions were tested: (a) 'I-don't-know' is acceptable, (b) interviewer cannot help.
Main Results:
- The introduction of both conversational rules significantly reduced children's suggestibility.
- Findings indicate a decrease in the number of incorrect answers provided by children.
Conclusions:
- Implementing specific conversational rules during interviews can mitigate suggestibility in child witnesses.
- These findings have practical implications for improving the reliability of child witness testimonies.