Premium
Body maps do not facilitate older children’s report of touch
Author(s) -
MORGAN KIRSTIE,
DORGAN KATHRYN,
HAYNE HARLENE
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
scandinavian journal of psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.743
H-Index - 72
eISSN - 1467-9450
pISSN - 0036-5564
DOI - 10.1111/sjop.12000
Subject(s) - psychology , event (particle physics) , developmental psychology , quantum mechanics , physics
Morgan, K., Dorgan, K. & Hayne, H. (2013). Body maps do not facilitate older children’s report of touch. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology 54, 51–55. In a single experiment, we assessed the effect of body maps on reports of touch by 5‐ and 6‐year‐olds, 9‐ and 10‐year‐olds, and adults. Children and adults participated in a staged event in which they were touched four times. Immediately following the event, children and adults were asked to either show using a body map or show using their own body where they had been touched. Consistent with prior research, body maps were ineffective with 5‐ and 6‐year‐olds. Furthermore, although older children and adults reported more touches and were more accurate than younger children, body maps did not enhance the quality of their reports. We conclude that the provision of a body map does not facilitate reports of touch by any age group, raising serious questions about their use in forensic contexts.