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The effect of parent versus unfamiliar interviewers on children's eyewitness memory and identification accuracy

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Law and Human Behavior

Abstract

This research was designed to learn if children's relationships with interviewers might influence the accuracy of their eyewitness memory and their ability to make identifications from lineups. In two experiments, kindergarten children (5-year-olds) viewed a slide show depicting a minor theft. Children were then interviewed by either their own parent or an unfamiliar experimenter with either a target present or target absent simultaneous photographic lineup. When lineups were presented by parents, children were less accurate, changed their identifications more frequently, and were more likely to acquiesce with a suggestion about an alternative identification. Children showed poorer recall of the event when interviewed by their parent in an unstructured interview (Experiment 1); however, no differences were observed when parents and experimenters followed the same script (Experiment 2). Overall, the results indicate that interviewers can influence the accuracy and consistency of children's eyewitness identifications.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Psychology Deptartment, University of Massachusetts, Tobin Hall Box 37710, 01003, Amherst, MA, USA

    Christine M. Ricci & Carole R. Beal

  2. James Madison University, Madison, USA

    Dawn J. Dekle

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  1. Christine M. Ricci
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  2. Carole R. Beal
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  3. Dawn J. Dekle
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Correspondence to Carole R. Beal.

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Ricci, C.M., Beal, C.R. & Dekle, D.J. The effect of parent versus unfamiliar interviewers on children's eyewitness memory and identification accuracy. Law Hum Behav 20, 483–500 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01499037

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