Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Children’s Memory in “Scientific Case Studies” of Child Sexual Abuse: A Review

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Applied Issues in Investigative Interviewing, Eyewitness Memory, and Credibility Assessment

Abstract

Yuille and Cutshall (1986) published a landmark study of adults’ eyewitness memory. A tragic shooting in front of a gun shop—killing one person and seriously injuring a second—occurred before the startled eyes of 21 witnesses, varying in age from 15 to 32 years. After the shooting, the witnesses were interviewed by the police and then, fortunately, a subset of them later agreed to be interviewed by the research team. In this way, the witnesses’ memory was evaluated up to 5 months after the event. Yuille and Cutshall concluded that:

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
$34.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or eBook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. 1.

    Omission errors may reflect forgetting, lack of realization of the information’s importance or relevance, temporary inability of retrieval, or conscious decisions not to report certain information for motivational reasons (e.g., embarrassment).

References

  • Ackil, J. K., Van Abbema, D. L., & Bauer, P. J. (2003). After the storm: Enduring differences in mother-child recollections of traumatic and nontraumatic events. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 84, 286–309.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, K. W., Quas, J. A., Ghetti, S., Goodman, G. S., Edelstein, R. S., Redlich, A. D., … Jones, D. P. H. (2005). Traumatic impact predicts long-term memory for documented child sexual abuse. Psychological Science, 16, 33–40.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Alexander, K. W., Quas, J. A., & Goodman, G. S. (2002). Theoretical advances in understanding children’s memory for distressing events: The role of attachment. Developmental Review, 22, 490–519.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bahrick, L. E., Parker, J. F., Fivush, R., & Levitt, M. (1998). The effects of stress on young children’s memory for a natural disaster. Journal of Experimental Psychology. Applied, 4, 308–331.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker-Ward, L., Gordon, B. N., & Ornstein, P. A. (2001). Children’s testimony: A review of research on memory for past experiences. Clinical Child and Family Psychology, 4, 157–181.

    Google Scholar 

  • Baker-Ward, L., Gordon, B. N., Ornstein, P. A., Larus, D. M., & Clubb, P. A. (1993). Young children’s long-term retention of a pediatric examination. Child Development, 64, 1519–1533.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bartlett, J. C., Burleson, G., & Santrock, J. W. (1982). Emotional mood and memory in young children. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 34, 59–76.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bauer, P. J., Wenner, J. A., Dropik, P. L., & Wewerka, S. S. (2000). Parameters of remembering and forgetting in the transition from infancy to early childhood. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 65, 1–213.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berliner, L., Hyman, I., Thomas, A., & Fitzgerald, M. (2003). Children’s memory for traumatic and positive experiences. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 16, 229–236.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Berntsen, D., & Rubin, D. C. (2006). Flashbulb memories and posttraumatic stress reactions across the life span: Age-related effects of the German occupation of Denmark during World War II. Psychology and Aging, 21, 127–139.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bidrose, S., & Goodman, G. S. (2000). Testimony and evidence: A scientific case study of memory for child sexual abuse. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 14(3), 197–213.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bowlby, J. (1980). Attachment and loss: Sadness and depression (Vol. III). New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brady, M. S., Poole, D. A., Warren, A. R., & Jones, H. R. (1999). Young children’s responses to yes-no questions: Patterns and problems. Applied Developmental Science, 3, 47–57.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brainerd, C. J., & Poole, D. A. (1997). Long-term survival of children’s false memories: A review. Learning and Individual Differences, 9, 125–151.

    Google Scholar 

  • Brainerd, C. J., Reyna, V. F., Howe, M. L., & Kingma, J. (1990). The development of forgetting and reminiscence. Monographs of the Society for Research in Child Development, 55, 1–109.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bright-Paul, A., Jarrold, C., & Wright, D. B. (2005). Age-appropriate cues facilitate source-monitoring and reduce suggestibility in 3- to 7-year-olds. Cognitive Development, 20, 1–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bright-Paul, A., Jarrold, C., & Wright, D. B. (2008). Theory-of-mind development influences suggestibility and source monitoring. Developmental Psychology, 44, 1055–1068.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bruck, M., Ceci, S. J., Francoeur, E., & Barr, R. (1995). “I hardly cried when I got my shot”: Influencing children’s reports about a visit to their pediatrician. Child Development, 66, 193–208.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Buck, J., Warren, A., Betman, S., & Brigham, J. (2002). Age differences in Criteria-Based Content Analysis scores in typical child sexual abuse interviews. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 23, 267–283.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bugental, D. B., Blue, J., Cortez, V., Fleck, K., & Rodriguez, A. (1992). Influences of witnessed affect on information processing in children. Child Development, 63, 774–786.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burch, M. M., Austin, J., & Bauer, P. J. (2004). Understanding the emotional past: Relations between parent and child contributions in emotionally negative and nonnegative events. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 89, 276–297.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Burgwyn-Bailes, E., Baker-Ward, L., Gordon, B. N., & Ornstein, P. A. (2001). Children’s memory for emergency medical treatment after one year: The impact of individual difference variables on recall and suggestibility. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 15, S25–S48.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ceci, S. J., & Bruck, M. (1993). Suggestibility of the child witness: A historical review and synthesis. Psychological Bulletin, 113, 403–439.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Cederborg, A., Lamb, M. E., & Laurell, O. (2007). Delay of disclosure, minimization, and denial of abuse when the evidence is unambiguous: A multivictim case. In M. Pipe, M. E. Lamb, Y. Orbach, & A. Cederborg (Eds.), Child sexual abuse: Disclosure, delay, and denial (pp. 159–173). Lawrence: Mahwah, NJ.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chae, Y., Goodman, G. S., & Edelstein, R. S. (2011). The development of autobiographical memory from an attachment perspective: The special role of negative events. Advances in Child Development and Behavior, 40, 1–49. New York: Academic Press.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Chae, Y., Ogle, C. M., & Goodman, G. S. (2009). Remembering negative childhood experiences: An attachment theory perspective. In J. Quas & R. Fivush (Eds.), Emotion and memory in development: Biological, cognitive, and social considerations (pp. 3–27). New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chen, E., Zeltzer, L. K., Craske, M. G., & Katz, E. R. (2000). Children’s memories for painful cancer treatment procedures: Implications for distress. Child Development, 71, 933–947.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Clancy, S. (2009). The trauma myth. New York: Basic Books.

    Google Scholar 

  • Clarke-Stewart, K. A., Malloy, L. C., & Allhusen, V. D. (2004). Verbal ability, self-control, and close relationships with parents protect children against misleading suggestions. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 18, 1037–1058.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cordon, I. M., Pipe, M.-E., Sayfan, L., Melinder, A., & Goodman, G. S. (2004). Memory for traumatic experiences in early childhood. Developmental Review, 24, 101–132.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dalenberg, C. J. (1996). Fantastic elements in child disclosure of abuse. APSAC Advisor, 9(1), 5–6.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, D., & Jergovic, D. (1996). Children’s memory for atypical actions in script-based stories: An examination of the disruption effect. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 61, 134–152.

    Google Scholar 

  • Davidson, D., Luo, Z., & Burden, M. J. (2001). Children’s recall of emotional behaviours, emotional labels, and nonemotional behaviors: Does emotion enhance memory? Cognition and Emotion, 15, 1–26.

    Google Scholar 

  • DiPietro, E. K., Runyan, D. K., & Fredrickson, D. D. (1997). Predictors of disclosure during medical evaluation for suspected sexual abuse. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse, 6, 133–142.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dykas, M. J., Ehrlich, K. B., & Cassidy, J. (2011). Links between attachment and social information processing: Examination of intergenerational processes. Advances in Child Development and Behavior, 40, 51–94.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Edelstein, R. S., Ghetti, S., Quas, J. A., Goodman, G. S., Alexander, K. W., Redlich, A. D., & Cordon, I. M. (2005). Individual differences in emotional memory: Adult attachment and long-term memory for child sexual abuse. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 31(11), 1537–1548.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fivush, R., Sales, J. M., Goldberg, A., Bahrick, L., & Parker, J. (2004). Weathering the storm: Children’s long-term recall of Hurricane Andrew. Memory, 12, 104–118.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Fivush, R., & Vasudeva, A. (2002). Remembering to relate: Socioemotional correlates of mother-child reminiscing. Journal of Cognition and Development, 3, 73–90.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forgas, J. P., Burnham, D. K., & Trimboli, C. (1988). Mood, memory, and social judgments in children. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54, 697–703.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ghetti, S., & Angelini, L. (2008). The development of recollection and familiarity in childhood and adolescence: Evidence from the dual-process signal detection model. Child Development, 79, 339–358.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ghetti, S., Goodman, G. S., Eisen, M. L., Qin, J., & Davis, S. L. (2002). Consistency in reports of sexual and physical abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 26, 977–995.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ghetti, S., Qin, J., & Goodman, G. S. (2002). False memories in children and adults: Age, distinctiveness, and subjective experience. Developmental Psychology, 38, 705–718.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, G. S., Batterman-Faunce, J. M., Schaaf, J. M., & Kenney, R. (2002). Nearly 4 years after an event: Children’s eyewitness memory and adults’ perception of children’s accuracy. Child Abuse & Neglect, 26, 849–884.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, G. S., Ghetti, S., Quas, J. A., Edelstein, R. S., Alexander, K. W., Redlich, A. D., & Jones, D. P. H. (2003). A prospective study of memory for child sexual abuse: New findings relevant to the repressed-memory controversy. Psychological Science, 14, 113–118.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, G. S., Hirschman, J. E., Hepps, D., & Rudy, L. (1991). Children’s memory for stressful events. Merrill-Palmer Quarterly, 37, 109–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, G. S., Ogle, C. M., Block, S. D., Harris, L., Larsen, R., Augusti, E.-M., …Urquiza, A. (2011). False memory for trauma-related DRM lists in adolescents and adults with histories of child sexual abuse. Development and Psychopathology, 23, 423–438.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, G. S., & Quas, J. A. (1997). Trauma and memory: Individual differences in children’s recounting of a stressful experience. In N. L. Stein, P. A. Ornstein, B. Tversky, & C. Brainerd (Eds.), Memory for everyday and emotional events (pp. 267–294). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, G. S., & Quas, J. A. (2008). It’s when and how, not just how many: Repeated interviews and children’s memory. Current Directions in Psychology, 17, 386–390.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, G. S., Quas, J. A., Batterman-Faunce, J. M., Riddlesberger, M. M., & Kuhn, J. (1994). Predictors of accurate and inaccurate memories of traumatic events experienced in childhood. Consciousness and Cognition, 3, 269–294.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, G. S., Quas, J. A., Batterman-Faunce, J. M., Riddlesberger, M. M., & Kuhn, J. (1997). Children’s reactions to and memory for a stressful event: Influences of age, anatomical dolls, knowledge, and parental attachment. Applied Developmental Science, 1, 54–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Goodman, G. S., Quas, J. A., & Ogle, C. M. (2010). Childhood trauma and memory. Annual Review of Psychology, 61, 325–351.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Goodman-Brown, T. B., Edelstein, R. S., Goodman, G. S., Jones, D. P. H., & Gordon, D. S. (2003). Why children tell: A model of children’s disclosure of sexual abuse. Child Abuse & Neglect, 27, 525–540.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hershkowitz, I. (2001). A case study of child sexual false allegation. Child Abuse & Neglect, 25, 1397–1411.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hershkowitz, I., Lanes, O., & Lamb, M. E. (2007). Exploring the disclosure of child sexual abuse with alleged victims and their parents. Child Abuse & Neglect, 31, 111–123.

    Google Scholar 

  • Horowitz, S. W., Lamb, M. E., Esplin, P. W., Boychuck, T. D., Reiter-Lavery, L., & Krispin, O. (1995). Establishing ground truth in studies of child sexual abuse. Expert Evidence, 42, 42–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howe, M. L. (1997). Children’s memory for traumatic experiences. Learning and Individual Differences, 9, 153–174.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howe, M. L. (2000). The fate of early memories: Developmental science and the retention of childhood experiences. Washington, DC: American Psychological Association.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howe, M. L. (2006). Developmental invariance in distinctiveness effects in memory. Developmental Psychology, 42, 1193–1205.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Howe, M. L. (2007). Children’s emotional false memories. Psychological Science, 18, 856–860.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Howe, M. L. (2011). The nature of early memory: An adaptive theory of the genesis and development of memory. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howe, M. L., Courage, M. L., & Bryant-Brown, L. (1993). Reinstating children’s memories. Developmental Psychology, 26, 292–303.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howe, M. L., Courage, M. L., Vernescu, R., & Hunt, M. (2000). Distinctiveness effects in children’s long-term retention. Developmental Psychology, 36, 778–792.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Hudson, J. A., & Fivush, R. (1991). As time goes by: Sixth graders remember a kindergarten experience. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 5, 347–360.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, R. J., Greenhoot, A. F., Glisky, E., & McCloskey, L. A. (2005). The relations among abuse, depression, and adolescents’ autobiographical memory. Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, 4, 235–247.

    Google Scholar 

  • Johnson, M. K., Hashtroudi, S., & Lindsay, D. S. (1993). Source monitoring. Psychological Bulletin, 114, 3–28.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • La Rooy, D., Katz, C., Malloy, L. C., & Lamb, M. E. (2010). Do we need to rethink guidance on repeated interviews? Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 16, 373–392.

    Google Scholar 

  • Larson, R., Chae, Y., Augusti, E. M., Alley, D., Hansen, R., & Goodman, G. S. (2009). Children’s use of body drawings to recall a stressful event. In M. Bruck, & M. E. Lamb, (Chairs), Children’s memories and reports of touching events. Symposium presented at the Association of Psychological Science, San Francisco, CA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leander, L. (2010). Police interviews with child sexual abuse victims: Patterns of reporting, ­avoidance and denial. Child Abuse & Neglect, 34, 192–205.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leander, L., Christianson, S. Å., & Granhag, P. A. (2007). A sexual abuse case study: Children’s memories and reports. Psychiatry, Psychology, and Law, 14(1), 120–129.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leander, L., Christianson, S. Å., & Granhag, P. A. (2008). Internet-initiated sexual abuse: Adolescent victims’ reports about on- and off-line sexual activities. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 22, 1260–1274.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leander, L., Granhag, P. A., & Christianson, S. Å. (2005). Children exposed to obscene phone calls: What they remember and tell. Child Abuse & Neglect, 29, 871–888.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lindberg, M. A., Jones, S., McComas, L. M., & Thomas, S. W. (2001). Similarities and differences in eyewitness testimonies of children who directly versus vicariously experience stress. Journal of Genetic Psychology, 162, 314–333.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • London, K., Bruck, M., & Melnyk, L. (2009). Post-event information affects children’s autobiographical memory after one year. Law and Human Behavior, 33, 344–355.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Melinder, A., Alexander, K., Cho, Y., Goodman, G. S., Thoresen, C., & Lonnum, K. (2010). Children’s eyewitness memory: A comparison of two interviewing strategies as realized by forensic professionals. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 105, 156–177.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Merritt, K. A., Ornstein, P. A., & Spicker, B. (1994). Children’s memory for a salient medical procedure: Implications for testimony. Pediatrics, 94, 17–23.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moradi, A. R., Taghavi, M. R., Neshat-Doost, H. T., Yule, W., & Dalgleish, T. (2000). Memory bias for emotional information in children and adolescents with posttraumatic stress disorder: A preliminary study. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 14, 521–534.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Neisser, U., & Harsch, N. (1992). Phantom flashbulbs: False recollections of hearing the news about challenger. In E. Winograd & U. Neisser (Eds.), Affect and accuracy in recall: Studies of “flashbulb” memories (Emory symposia in cognition, Vol. 4, pp. 9–31). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nelson, K. (1993). The psychological and social origins of autobiographical memory. Psychological Science, 4, 7–14.

    Google Scholar 

  • Neshat-Doost, H. T., Taghavi, M. R., Moradi, A. R., Yule, W., & Dalgleish, T. (1998). Memory for emotional trait adjectives in clinically depressed youth. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 107, 642–650.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Nourkova, V., Bernstein, D. M., & Loftus, E. F. (2004). Altering traumatic memory. Cognition & Emotion, 18, 575–585.

    Google Scholar 

  • Orbach, Y., & Lamb, M. E. (1999). Assessing the accuracy of a child’s account of sexual abuse: A case study. Child Abuse & Neglect, 23, 91–98.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C. (1999). Children’s memory for medical emergencies: 2 years later. Developmental Psychology, 35, 1493–1506.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C. (2002). Children’s long-term memory for autobiographical events. Developmental Review, 22, 370–402.

    Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C., & Bell, M. (1996). Children’s memory for traumatic injury. Child Development, 67, 3045–3070.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Peterson, C., & Whalen, N. (2001). Five years later: Children’s memory for medical emergencies. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 15, S7–S24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pezdek, K. (2003). Event memory and autobiographical memory for the events of September 11, 2001. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 17, 1033–1045.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pezdek, K., Morrow, A., Blandon-Gitlin, I., Goodman, G. S., Quas, J. A., Saywitz, K. J., …Brodie, L. (2004). Detecting deception in children: Event familiarity affects Criterion-Based Content Analysis ratings. Journal of Applied Psychology, 89, 119–126.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pillemer, D. B. (1992). Preschool children’s memories of personal circumstances: The fire alarm study. In E. Winograd & U. Neisser (Eds.), Affect and accuracy in recall: Studies of “flashbulb” memories (pp. 121–137). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pillemer, D. B., Picariello, M. L., & Pruett, J. C. (1994). Very long term memories of a salient preschool event. Journal of Applied Cognitive Psychology, 8, 95–106.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pipe, M.-E., Goodman, G. S., Quas, J., Bidrose, S., Ablin, D., & Craw, S. (1997). Remembering early experiences during childhood. In J. D. Read & D. S. Lindsay (Eds.), Recollections of trauma: Scientific evidence and clinical practice (pp. 417–423). New York: Plenum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poole, D. A., & Lindsay, D. S. (2001). Children’s eyewitness reports after exposure to misinformation from parents. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology: Applied, 7, 27–50.

    Google Scholar 

  • Poole, D. A., & Lindsay, D. S. (2002). Reducing child witnesses’ false reports of misinformation from parents. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 81, 117–140.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Poole, D. A., & White, L. T. (1991). Effects of question repetition on the eyewitness testimony of children and adults. Developmental Psychology, 27, 975–986.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pynoos, R. S., & Eth, S. (1984). The child as witness to homicide. Journal of Social Issues, 40, 87–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pynoos, R. S., & Nader, K. (1989). Children’s memory and proximity to violence. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, 28, 236–241.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Quas, J. A., Goodman, G. S., Bidrose, S., Pipe, M.-E., Craw, S., & Ablin, D. (1999). Emotion and memory: Children’s long-term remembering, forgetting, and suggestibility. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 72, 235–270.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Quas, J. A., Malloy, L. C., Melinder, A., Goodman, G. S., D’Mello, M., & Schaaf, J. (2007). Developmental differences in the effects of repeated interviews and interviewer bias on young children’s event memory and false reports. Developmental Psychology, 43, 823–837.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Raskin, D. C., & Esplin, P. W. (1991). Assessment of children’s statements of sexual abuse. Washington, DC: APA.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rassin, E. (2000). Criterion based content analysis: The less scientific road to truth. Expert Evidence, 7, 265–278.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reese, E., Haden, C. A., & Fivush, R. (1993). Mother-child conversations about the past: Relationships of style and memory over time. Cognitive Development, 8, 403–430.

    Google Scholar 

  • Reviere, S. L., & Bakeman, R. (2001). The effects of early trauma on autobiographical memory and schematic self-representation. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 15, 89–100.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roberts, K. P., & Powell, M. B. (2005). The relation between inhibitory control and children’s eyewitness memory. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 19, 1003–1018.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roebers, C. M., Gelhaar, T., & Schneider, W. (2004). “It’s magic!” The effects of presentation modality on children’s event memory, suggestibility, and confidence judgments. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 87, 320–335.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Roebers, C. M., & Schneider, W. (2002). Stability and consistency of children’s event recall. Cognitive Development, 17, 1085–1103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Roebers, C. M., Schwartz, S., & Neumann, R. (2005). Social influence and children’s event recall and suggestibility. The European Journal of Developmental Psychology, 2, 47–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rudy, L., & Goodman, G. S. (1991). Effects of participation on children’s reports: Implications for children’s testimony. Developmental Psychology, 27, 527–538.

    Google Scholar 

  • Salmon, K., Price, J., & Pereira, J. K. (2002). Factors associated with young children’s long-term recall of an invasive medical procedure: A preliminary investigation. Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, 23, 347–352.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sas, D. L., Hatch, A., Malla, S., Dick, T., & Hurley, P. (1993). Three years after the verdict: A longitudinal study of the social and psychological adjustment of child witnesses referred to the child witness project. London, Canada: London Family Court Clinic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Saywitz, K. J., Goodman, G. S., Nicholas, E., & Moan, S. F. (1991). Children’s memories of a physical examination involving genital touch: Implications for reports of child sexual abuse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 59, 682–691.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schaaf, J., Alexander, K., & Goodman, G. S. (2008). Predictors of children’s true disclosure and false memory. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 100, 157–185.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Schneider, W., & Pressley, M. (1997). Memory development between two and twenty (2nd ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shrimpton, S., Oates, K., & Hayes, S. (1998). Children’s memory of events: Effects of stress, age, time delay and location of interview. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 12, 133–143.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sjöberg, R. L., & Lindblad, F. (2002). Limited disclosure of sexual abuse in children whose ­experiences were documented by videotape. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 159, 312–314.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Sjöberg, R. L., & Lindhom, T. (2005). A systematic review of age-related errors in children’s memories for voiding cystourethrograms (VCUG). European Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 14, 104–105.

    Google Scholar 

  • Terr, L. C. (1981). Psychic trauma in children: Observations following the Chowchilla school-bus kidnapping. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 138, 14–19.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Terr, L. C. (1983). Chowchilla revisited: The effects of psychic trauma four years after a school-bus kidnapping. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 140, 1543–1550.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Terr, L. C. (1988). What happens to early memories of trauma? A study of twenty children under age five at the time of documents events. Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatric, 27, 96–104.

    Google Scholar 

  • Terr, L. C., Bloch, D. A., Michel, B. A., & Shi, H. (1996). Children’s memories in the wake of Challenger. The American Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 618–625.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Thierry, K. L., & Spence, M. J. (2004). A real-life event enhances the accuracy of preschoolers’ recall. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 18, 297–309.

    Google Scholar 

  • Van Abbema, D. L., & Bauer, P. J. (2005). Autobiographical memory in middle childhood: Recollections of the recent and distant past. Memory, 13, 829–845.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • van Giezen, A. E., Arensman, E., Spinhoven, P., & Wolters, G. (2005). Consistency of memory for emotionally arousing events: A review of prospective and experimental studies. Clinical Psychology Review, 25, 935–953.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Wareham, P., & Salmon, K. (2006). Mother-child reminiscing about everyday experiences: Implications for psychological interventions in the preschool years. Clinical Psychology Review, 26, 535–554.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Warren, A. R., & Swartwood, J. N. (1992). Developmental issues in flashbulb memory research: Children recall the challenger event. In E. Winograd & U. Neisser (Eds.), Affect and accuracy in recall: Studies of “flashbulb” memories (pp. 95–120). New York: Cambridge University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Westmacott, R., & Moscovitch, M. (2003). The contribution of autobiographical significance to semantic memory. Memory and Cognition, 31, 761–774.

    Google Scholar 

  • Williams, L. M. (1994). Recall of childhood trauma: A prospective study of women’s memories of child sexual abuse. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 62, 1167–1176.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Winograd, E., & Killinger, W. A. (1983). Relating age at encoding in early childhood to adult recall: Development of flashbulb memories. Journal of Experimental Psychology. General, 112, 413–422.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yuille, J. C. (1988). Credibility assessment. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yuille, J. C., & Cutshall, J. L. (1986). A case study of eyewitness memory of a crime. Journal of Applied Psychology, 71, 291–301.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Yuille, J. C., Hunter, R., Joffe, R., & Zaparniuk, J. (1993). Interviewing children in sexual abuse cases. In G. S. Goodman & B. L. Bottoms (Eds.), Child victims, child witnesses: Understanding and improving testimony (pp. 95–115). New York: Guilford Press.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgement

The authors were supported by a Juan de la Cierva and Consolider-Ingenio 2010 (CSD2008-00048) grant from the Spanish Ministry of Innovation and Science to Pedro Paz-Alonso, by a National Institute on Aging grant to Christin Ogle (5T32 AG000029-35), and by a National Science Foundation grant to Gail Goodman (Grant #0545413). Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation or other agencies. We thank Dr. Kathy Pezdek for past support of scientific case study research. Address correspondence to Dr. Gail S. Goodman, Department of Psychology, University of California, 1 Shields Avenue, Davis 95616 USA (ggoodman@ucdavis.edu).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of California, Davis, CA, USA

    Pedro M. Paz-Alonso & Gail S. Goodman

  2. Basque Center on Cognition, Brain and Language (BCBL), San Sebastián, Spain

    Pedro M. Paz-Alonso

  3. Duke University, Durham, NC, USA

    Christin M. Ogle

Authors
  1. Pedro M. Paz-Alonso
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Christin M. Ogle
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Gail S. Goodman
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gail S. Goodman .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. The Forensic Alliance, Main Street, Suite #503 2818, Vancouver, V5T 0C1, British Columbia, Canada

    Barry S. Cooper

  2. Gerichts- und Rechtspsychologie, Gesellschaft für Wissenschaftliche, Rablstraße 45, München, 81669, Germany

    Dorothee Griesel

  3. , Department of Psychology, University of British Columbia, West Mall 2329, Vancouver, V6T 1Z4, British Columbia, Canada

    Marguerite Ternes

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media New York

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Paz-Alonso, P.M., Ogle, C.M., Goodman, G.S. (2013). Children’s Memory in “Scientific Case Studies” of Child Sexual Abuse: A Review. In: Cooper, B., Griesel, D., Ternes, M. (eds) Applied Issues in Investigative Interviewing, Eyewitness Memory, and Credibility Assessment. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-5547-9_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation