Child Victims, Child Witnesses: Understanding and Improving Testimony [Hardcover]

Goodman. (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0898627893 | ISBN-13: 978-0898627893 | Publication Date: December 11, 1992

This volume presents a collection of chapters by top researchers reporting the new child witness research being conducted today. In these chapters, the authors confront the major societal issues and questions that arise when children must give testimony: Do children have the cognitive capacity to recall accurately and report past events? How can knowledge of children's memory be applied to understanding children's testimony in forensic situations? Do socio-emotional or motivational factors influence the accuracy of children's reports? Are children likely to conceal or fabricate information about past events? Are there special interview techniques that might enhance the likelihood of obtaining accurate information from child witnesses? Can jurors accurately evaluate the testimony of child witnesses? Are jurors biased in ways that might preclude the fair adjudication of trials involving child witnesses? What is the emotional impact on child witnesses of involvement in legal proceedings? This book will be an invaluable reference to anyone concerned with children's testimony legal, mental health, social service, and medical professionals, students of psychology, social policy, or law, as well as practitioners and researchers.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The most important book to date concerning children as witnesses. This book should be read by every judge and attorney concerned about child abuse. It provides a wealth of information that can be put to good use in the effort to protect abused children. Most judges and attorneys know relatively little about recent psychological research on children as witnesses. This book, more than any other, bridges the knowledge gap that too often separates psychologists from judges and attorneys." --John E.B. Myers, McGeorge School of Law

"[This] edited volume makes an important contribution to advancing knowledge, especially in clarifying strengths of children's memory and identifying strategies for improving children's memory performance. Of equal interest are the data on perceptions of children's reports which do not always coincide with children's abilities or accuracy. As this book demonstrates, problems with children's's reports about events often do not lie with children but with gaps in adult understanding and communication." --Lucy Berliner, M.S.W., Research Director, Harborview Sexual Assault Center

"Gail Goodman and Bette Bottoms give us a treasure trove of brand new psychological studies that explain whether, how, why, what, and how truthfully children remember what happens. This book not only grants invaluable help to the many professionals who bring children into court, but it provides ways to help these children. Fascinating reading for anyone interested in children's memories." --Lenore C. Terr, M.D.

"Goodman and Bottoms are two of our most thoughtful and creative scholars in the field of children's testimony. Their book and their work show how a pressing question of public policy, in the hands of thoughtful scholars, can become a key door to the exploration of a new realm of general social scientific understanding. This book provides a very accessible review of new knowledge on a range of issues related to children's testimony, and it draws out the important policy implications of that knowledge. It is a remarkable example of how to do equal justice to the standards of science and the needs of policy." --David Finkelhor, Ph.D., Co-Director, Family Research Laboratory, University of New Hampshire

About the Author

Gail S. Goodman, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychology at the University of California at Davis. Her research and writings on children's testimony are nationally and internationally known and have been cited in U.S. Supreme Court decisions. A Fellow of the American Psychological Association, she has served as President of its Division of Child, Youth, and Family Services. Dr. Goodman has received numerous honors and awards including the Career Research Achievement Award of the American Professional Society on the Abuse of Children.

Bette L. Bottoms, Ph.D. is an Assistant Professor of Psychology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She has conducted research on issues of psychological and legal interest including the reliability of children's memory and techniques for improving children's testimony. She was the recipient of a Pre-Doctoral Fellowship from the National Center on Child Abuse and Neglect, Department of Human Services, to study jurors' perceptions of children's testimony.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Guilford Press (December 11, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0898627893
• ISBN-13: 978-0898627893
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.9 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,186,434 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)