Forensic Psych - Child eyewitnesses - Class 6

What is the mcmartin preschool case?

A mom claimed her son was being sexually abused by his teacher. Interviews with counsellors (talking to the children) lead to bizarre allegations like hot air ballons, flying, secret tunnels, etc.

Children’s eyewitness memory is ____ dependent on the way questions are worded and asked.

highly

The stepwise interview aims to reduce false information/claims from child eyewitnesses. How is this done?

1. Series of steps

2. Build rapport w/ child, discuss non-threatening events, importance of truth

3. Free recall questions

5 categories of recalling an event during narrative elaboration

1. Participants

2. Setting

3. Actions

4. Conversation/affective states

5. Consequences

NICHD Interview Protocol

Made by the National Institue of Child Health and Human Development. Relies on open-ended questions

True or False? It is relatively easy to implant false memories.

True