Child Memory and Testimony

Flashcards covering key concepts related to child memory, testimony, and the impacts of interviewing techniques.

Memory Report

A recollection that includes details that may not have actually happened, fitting the usual pattern.

Source Monitoring Error

A mistake in identifying the origin of a memory, where a person confuses what they experienced with what they heard or learned from others.

Suggestive Questioning

Questions that lead children to recall or create false or distorted memories, often influenced by the way the questions are framed.

Script Errors

Mistakes in memory due to reliance on pre-existing knowledge or scripts of how events typically unfold.

CAPTA (Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act)

A policy enacted in the 1970s that requires doctors to report suspected child abuse.

Traditionalist View on Child Witnesses

The belief that children are unreliable witnesses and not useful in court.

Revisionist View on Child Witnesses

The perspective that children are valuable witnesses but may require 'pulling out' information through suggestive interviewing.

Current View on Children's Testimony

Recognition of the value of children's testimony, with an understanding that they can be influenced by suggestive questioning.

Cognitive Limitations

The mental restrictions children face, which can lead to slower processing, impulsivity, and difficulty correcting themselves.

Confirmation Bias

The tendency to notice evidence that supports one’s existing beliefs, particularly dangerous during forensic interviews.

Blind Interviewing

An interviewing approach where the investigator has little or no background information, reducing bias but potentially lacking direction.

Hypothesis Testing in Interviews

The practice of forming possible explanations and gathering evidence to test those explanations without jumping to conclusions.