Reducing suggestibility in child witness interviews

Abstract

This study set out to test the prediction that a Cognitive Interview may increase resistance to subsequent misleading suggestions in child witness interviews. The misleading information was presented in the form of questions both prior to, and after, a cognitive or structured interview to 8 and 9 year old witnesses to a video-taped event. Use of the cognitive interview resulted in more correct responses to post-interview questions than did the structured interview eventhough there was not quite a significant effect of the cognitive interview on information recalled during the actual interview. On the basis of their interview performance the children were classified as `intruders' or `non-intruders' (i.e. those children who intruded pre-interview misleading items into the subsequent interview and those who did not). The `non-intruders' made significantly fewer errors on the post-interview questions indicating lower vulnerability to misleading information. Moreover, those children who selected the `don't know' option made fewer errors in the interview and were more accurate in their responses. Theoretical and practical implications of the data are discussed in the context of group differences in vulnerability to suggestion and techniques for increasing resistance to suggestion.