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Interviewing children in custody cases: Implications of research and policy for practice
Author(s) -
Saywitz Karen,
Camparo Lorinda B.,
Romanoff Anna
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
behavioral sciences and the law
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.649
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1099-0798
pISSN - 0735-3936
DOI - 10.1002/bsl.945
Subject(s) - interview , suggestibility , competence (human resources) , agency (philosophy) , psychology , criminology , developmental psychology , social psychology , sociology , law , political science , social science
Research on child interviewing has burgeoned over the past 25 years as expectations about children's agency, competence, and participation in society have changed. This article identifies recent trends in research, policy, and theory with implications for the practice of interviewing children in cases of contested divorce and for the weight to be given the information children provide. A number of fields of relevant research are identified, including studies of families who have participated in the family law system, studies of child witnesses in the field, experimental studies of the effects of interview techniques on children's memory and suggestibility, and ethnographic methods that elicit children's views of their own experiences. Finally, a set of 10 principles for practice are delineated based on the best available science. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.