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The effects of question type on self‐contradictions by children in the course of forensic interviews
Author(s) -
Lamb Michael E.,
Fauchier Angèle
Publication year - 2001
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/acp.726
Subject(s) - psychology , forensic science , child sexual abuse , sexual abuse , closed ended question , social psychology , developmental psychology , forensic examination , child abuse , human factors and ergonomics , poison control , epistemology , medicine , forensic engineering , medical emergency , veterinary medicine , philosophy , engineering
Abstract Twenty‐four forensic interviews of seven alleged victims of child sexual abuse were examined to elucidate the circumstances in which the children contradicted forensically relevant details they had provided earlier. Suggestive questions by the interviewers elicited a disproportionate number of contradictions, whereas open‐ended invitations never elicited contradictions. Because contradictions necessarily imply that details were stated inaccurately at least once, these close analyses of forensic interviews demonstrate that, as in analogue contexts, open‐ended prompts yield more accurate information than do focused questions, particularly option‐posing and suggestive prompts. Published in 2001 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.