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Effects of rapport-building types during interviews and children’s temperament and age on their recall accuracy

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Abstract

This study explored the relationship between rapport-building and child temperament, and the effect of rapport-building style on children’s free recall and suggestibility. In total, 80 (4–9 years old) living in the Seoul metropolitan area of South Korea were randomly assigned to two groups based on age and rapport-building style. Children’s free recall accuracy was more pronounced in the open-ended than in the direct rapport-building condition, regardless of age. In terms of suggestibility, children were more vulnerable to suggestive questions in the direct condition compared to the open-ended condition. The impact of rapport-building type on suggestibility also varied with child temperament and age. Younger children with higher negative emotionality were more susceptible to suggestive questions in the direct condition than in the open-ended condition, and younger children with lower effortful control were more vulnerable to suggestive questions in the direct condition. The importance of considering children’s personal characteristics and age during investigative interviews was emphasized based on these findings, as the role of rapport-building appears to differ with child temperament and age.

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We thank all the participants and their parents for participating in this study.

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  1. Department of Liberal Arts and Education, Konkuk University, Seoul, Republic of Korea

    Seungjin Lee

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Lee, S. Effects of rapport-building types during interviews and children’s temperament and age on their recall accuracy. Curr Psychol 43, 11952–11960 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-023-05312-7

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