Memory and Testimony in the Child Witness (Applied Psychology) [Paperback]

Maria Zaragoza (Editor), John R. Graham (Editor), Gordon C. Nagayama Hall (Editor), Richard Hirschman (Editor), Yossef S. Ben-Porath (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 5, 1994 | ISBN-10: 0803955553 | ISBN-13: 978-0803955554

The assessment and improvement of eyewitness testimony of children is the topic of this volume. The first section examines factors that contribute to the reliability and accuracy of testimony, including the effects of extended delays, repeated questioning and exposure to leading questions.

The second part describes techniques that have been developed to improve the quality of children's testimony, including interview techniques and the use of anatomically correct dolls, and explores their empirical and theoretical underpinnings. The final chapters focus on policy issues, including psychological research designed to guide legal reforms for accommodating child witnesses into the legal system.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Sage Publications, Inc (January 5, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0803955553
• ISBN-13: 978-0803955554
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 6.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,143,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3.0 out of 5 stars Making Child Testimony Work, November 20, 2011

By 

John M. Ford "johnDC" (near DC, MD USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Memory and Testimony in the Child Witness (Applied Psychology) (Paperback)

The editors have assembled 12 contributed chapters about children offering legal testimony. This volume serves as the proceedings of the Fifth Annual Kent Psychology Forum held in 1993. The book is intended for use by researchers, clinicians, and policymakers.

The studies are grouped into three sections. The first set of five articles deals with children's basic psychological abilities to recall and describe events. The second four articles present and review techniques for improving the the accuracy of memory. The last three chapters suggest research-based improvements to public policy to improve the validity and impact of legal testimony from children.

The article I found most personally useful was "Improving Eyewitness Testimony With the Cognitive Interview" by Ronald Fisher and Michelle McCauley. Their interviewing tactics emphasize mental imagery, memory cuing, and building interview rapport to enhance recall of relevant details by child witnesses. These techniques were originally developed to question adults, but the authors demonstrate their usefulness with children. More information about this approach can be found in Memory-Enhancing Techniques for Investigative Interviewing: The Cognitive Interview.

This collection is recommended for cognition researchers and lawyers or investigators who must obtain information from children about events they have witnessed.