The Effects of Age and Delay on Responses to Repeated Questions in Forensic Interviews With Children Alleging Sexual Abuse
The Effects of Age and Delay on Responses to Repeated Questions in Forensic Interviews With Children Alleging Sexual Abuse
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DOI：
10.1037/lhb0000064
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发表时间：
2014-04-01
影响因子：
2.5
通讯作者：
Lamb, Michael E.
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Andrews, Samantha J.;Lamb, Michael E.
我们检查了115名年龄在3至12岁之间的儿童的法医访谈记录，这些儿童在据称经历了一次性虐待事件后的1天至18个月内接受了采访。重复的问题进行了分类方面的原因，面试官再次问问题，面试官如何问重复的问题，以及儿童如何回应。平均而言，面试官每次面试都会问3个重复的问题。随着年龄的增长，问题重复的频率下降，但重复和延迟之间没有联系。访谈者最经常重复问题以澄清（53.1%），但问题也经常重复，以质疑儿童以前的回答（23.7%），并没有明显的原因（20.1%）。作为回应，孩子们通常重复（54.1%）或详细说明（31.5%）他们以前的答案;他们很少自相矛盾（10.8%）。使用暗示性提示重复的问题更容易引起矛盾。年龄或延迟与问题重复的原因，如何重复以及儿童如何回答之间没有关联。这些研究结果强调了培训法医访谈员的重要性，只有当儿童或访谈员寻求澄清时才重复问题，并鼓励焦虑或不愿透露的儿童。所有重复的问题都应该是开放式的，面试官应该向孩子解释为什么问题会被重复。
We examined transcripts of forensic interviews with 115 children aged between 3 and 12 years, interviewed between 1 day and 18 months after allegedly experiencing a single incident of sexual abuse. Repeated questions were categorized with respect to the reasons why interviewers asked questions again, how interviewers asked repeated questions, and how children responded. On average, interviewers asked 3 repeated questions per interview. As age increased, the frequency of question repetition declined but there was no association between repetition and delay. Interviewers most often repeated questions for clarification (53.1%), but questions were also repeated frequently to challenge children's previous responses (23.7%), and for no apparent reason (20.1%). In response, children typically repeated (54.1%) or elaborated on (31.5%) their previous answers; they contradicted themselves less often (10.8%). Questions repeated using suggestive prompts were more likely to elicit contradictions. There was no association between age or delay and the reasons why questions were repeated, how they were repeated, and how children responded. These findings emphasize the importance of training forensic interviewers to repeat questions only when the children or interviewers seek clarification and to encourage children who are anxious or reluctant to disclose. All repeated questions should be open-ended and interviewers should explain to children why questions are being repeated.