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Effects of the timing of postevent information on preschoolers' memories of an event
Author(s) -
Roberts Kim P.,
Lamb Michael E.,
Sternberg Kathleen J.
Publication year - 1999
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(199912)13:6<541::aid-acp618>3.0.co;2-5
Subject(s) - misinformation , psychology , event (particle physics) , developmental psychology , recall , suggestibility , social psychology , cognitive psychology , computer security , computer science , physics , quantum mechanics
Few researchers have investigated whether the timing of postevent information affects the accuracy of children's reports of events they have experienced. In this study, four‐year‐olds dressed up in costumes and had their photographs taken. An unfamiliar adult spoke to the children about the event either a day (immediate condition) or a month (delayed condition) later, providing both accurate and misleading information about the staged event. When questioned five weeks after the event, children in a control group who had not received the review were more inaccurate answering focused questions than children who had been reminded of the event. A review a while after the event but shortly before the interview increased the amount of details recalled and this was not at the expense of accuracy. Misinformation was seldom reported spontaneously, although children in all groups acquiesced to leading questions in line with the misleading suggestions. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.