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Why children think they should tell the truth in court: Developmental considerations for the assessment of competency
Author(s) -
Ruck Martin Dale
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
legal and criminological psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.65
H-Index - 57
eISSN - 2044-8333
pISSN - 1355-3259
DOI - 10.1111/j.2044-8333.1996.tb00310.x
Subject(s) - vignette , psychology , punitive damages , juvenile court , law , criminal court , social psychology , developmental psychology , political science , juvenile delinquency , international law
This study explored the development of children's understanding of telling the truth in court. Ninety‐six children, from 7 to 13 years of age, were presented individually with hypothetical vignettes in which a child had witnessed, or had been involved with a crime and was required to give testimony in court. The vignettes varied in terms of type of crime, whether the child character in the vignette had sworn or promised to tell the truth in court, and type of external influence pressuring the child to withhold the truth in court. Children were interviewed on what the child in the story should say in court and why. Based on the findings a four‐level scale was developed to describe children's understanding of telling the truth in court: level 0 (irrelevant or no response), level 1 (concern with negative consequences to self), level 2 (concern with exhibiting good qualities and behaviour), and level 3 (concern with the laws of society). Younger children were more likely to perceive giving truthful testimony in court as a way to avoid punitive consequences, while older children were more concerned with upholding the laws and rules of society. The findings are discussed in terms of age‐related considerations and applied implications for the legal system with regard to the assessment of competency examinations for child witnesses.