Interviewing children

Interviewing children

1. Approach used can gain: Accurate info, inaccurate info, can lead child to false memories

2. Appropriate approaches

   • Silence
   • Facilitator
     • Encourages children to talk e.g. 'go on'
   • Echo or paraphrasing (Evans et al, 2010)
   • T.E.D
     • 'Tell', 'Explain', 'Describe' utterances rarely contaminate child's testimony (Oxburgh et al)
   • Access Recall memory
     • Freely recall event leads to gaining more accurate info
     • Recognition memory comes from forced choices or suggested questioning
       • Lamb et al (1999) states that recognition memory is less accurate

3. Wh- Questions

   • Oxburg et al found that some studies use 5 Wh- questions while some use 6 Wh-questions if they include how
     • Takes 2 forms: Open questions (interviewee allowed to talk without interference) and focused questions (ask questions based off of their account)

4. Inappropriate approaches

   • Yes/no and choice questions
     • Children may feel like they have to answer authority figures (i.e. police officers and lawyers' questions) even if they don't know the answer
     • Leading questions
       • 'When information not given in an interview is given in a question' (Goodman)
       • Most unfavourable type of question, and interview manuals advise against their use
   • Rapport phase
     • Child develops trusting relationship with interviewer and gets used to being asked interview style questions
       • Should offer as many oppurtunities via appropriate approaches for the child at the early interview stages (Bull)
     • Good rapport phase allows for more accurate information to be gained (Sternberg)
     • Poor rapport phase allows for less accurate information to be gained (Walsh and Bull)

5. Application to child abuse cases

   • Children rarely reveal vital details about abuse from open questions alone (DeVoe and Faller, 2002)
     • Interviewers should start with open questions but then immediately follow up with a focused question (DeVoe and Faller, 2002)