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Investigative Interviews with Victims of Child Sexual Abuse: The Relationship between Question Type and Investigation Relevant Information

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Abstract

This study examined the influence of question type during investigative interviews with victims of child sexual abuse on the number of items of Investigation Relevant Information (IRI) obtained during the interview. Twenty-one police interview transcripts from an English police force were analysed across different age groups. As predicted, more IRI was elicited from appropriate questions (e.g., open, probing, and encouragers) than from inappropriate questions (e.g., echo probes, closed, forced choice, leading, multiple and opinion/statement). Also as predicted, the number of items of IRI elicited increased with the age of the child witness, with older children disclosing the most items of IRI, regardless of whether the abuse was recent or historic.

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Notes

  1. A six-week course in England and Wales that trains officers to investigate serious crime

  2. Officers who have been specially trained to investigate sexual crime.

  3. This research considered interviews with adult suspects rather than child victims.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, Teesside University, Middlesbrough, UK

    Emma Phillips, Gavin Oxburgh & Amanda Gavin

  2. Norwegian Police University College, Oslo, Norway

    Trond Myklebust

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  1. Emma Phillips
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  2. Gavin Oxburgh
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  3. Amanda Gavin
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  4. Trond Myklebust
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Correspondence to Emma Phillips.

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Phillips, E., Oxburgh, G., Gavin, A. et al. Investigative Interviews with Victims of Child Sexual Abuse: The Relationship between Question Type and Investigation Relevant Information. J Police Crim Psych 27, 45–54 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-011-9093-z

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