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Anatomical dolls in child sexual abuse assessments: a call for forensically relevant research
Author(s) -
Everson Mark D.,
Boat Barbara W.
Publication year - 1997
Publication title -
applied cognitive psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.719
H-Index - 100
eISSN - 1099-0720
pISSN - 0888-4080
DOI - 10.1002/(sici)1099-0720(199712)11:7<s55::aid-acp521>3.0.co;2-p
Subject(s) - generalizability theory , psychology , child sexual abuse , relevance (law) , sexual abuse , forensic science , child abuse , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , sexual assault , developmental psychology , medicine , medical emergency , political science , veterinary medicine , law
Although many props are used in child assessments to facilitate communication, none are as hotly debated as the use of anatomical dolls in forensic evaluations of child sexual abuse. This article examines two arguments against doll use—that their efficacy as interview aids is unproven and that they are sexually suggestive. It also offers a methodological critique of existing studies of anatomical dolls and argues that because of design limitations, these studies have minimal generalizability to actual forensic practice. This article suggests a number of design features for future research on anatomical dolls to increase the forensic relevance and utility in guiding practice. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.