HD_300 1st Edition Lecture 18 Outline of Last Lecture I. History of ReportingII. State LawsIII. What if you do not report?IV. When and Where to ReportV. What to ReportVI. “Professional”VII. Decision to ReportVIII. Costs and Benefits of ReportingIX. Responding to DisclosureX. In SumXI. Recognizing Physical AbuseXII. Recognizing Physical NeglectXIII. Recognizing Sexual AbuseXIV. Recognizing Emotional AbuseOutline of Current Lecture I. Introductiona. 2 argumentsII. Reviewing the researchIII. SuggestibilityIV. MemoryV. Social Factors Affecting MemoryVI. QuestioningVII. Use of anatomically correct dollsVIII. Concerns of anatomically correct dollsIX. Courtroom proceduresX. Highly publicized casesXI. SummaryThese notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.Current Lecture- If you want extra credit for term paper, need to turn it in by Friday at 7 am- If you want extra credit for plagiarism activity, need to turn it in by Friday at 7amUnit 15: Child WitnessesI. Introductiona. Children’s credibility and suggestibility have been of interest since the turn of the centuryb. Research generally falls into 2 categoriesi. Children are reliable and tell the truthii. Children are highly suggestible II. Reviewing the researcha. Children are reliable argument:i. Children are highly resistant to suggestionii. Children are unlikely to lieiii. Children are as reliable as adult witnessesb. Children are suggestible argument:i. Have difficulty distinguishing reality from fantasyii. Susceptible to coaching from an authority figureiii. Potentially less reliable than adult witnesses c. More research in the past 2 decades than the entire rest of the 20th centuryd. Broadening of admissibility of “expert” testimonye. Social scientists are applying their training issues concerning the rightsand protection of childrenf. Studies focusing on eyewitness testimony of adult have spilled over into child witness literatureg. The legal community has shown intense interest in behavioral science data dealing with child witnessesIII. Suggestibilitya. Focus has shifted from “are children suggestible” to “under what conditions are children suggestible”b. Another question: whether or not developmental changes influence c. Researchi. Mixed results: evidence of age related changes under some conditions but not others, younger children appear to be more susceptible to suggestions compared to older children, research has not resolved the difference- instead it has fueled the debates.IV. Memorya. Research issues:i. To what extent does post-event information interfere with original memory?ii. To what extent does a suggestion about something that did NOT happen alter memory of original event?V. Social Factors Affecting Memorya. Children view adults as credible and competent sources of information,may try to conform to make their answers fit what they think the questioner wants, when asked a question more than onceVI. Questioninga. Children are questioned an average of 11 times- often with different interviewersb. Often the questioner is “fishing” which plants ideas in the child’s mindc. If the child trusts the questioner, they are more likely to be forthcoming with informationd. Interviewers may use a variety of strategies to get the information by using leading questions, emotional tone or disposition, praising, or chastising the childe. Interviewers may have a vested interest in the reportf. Interviewers may have inaccurate or incomplete information- may be asking questions about something that didn’t happenVII. Use of anatomically correct dollsa. Approximately 90% of field investigators use them in their interviewsb. Expert testimony is often based on observations of children’s interactions with the dollsc. Rationale: allow children to manipulate objects reminiscent of the evenand thought to overcome problems of shyness and embarrassmentVIII. Concerns of Anatomically Correct Dollsa. The dolls are suggestive and encourage the child to engage in sexual play even if they have not been abusedb. No comparative information on non-abused children’s play with the dollsc. No standardized method for using the dollsIX. Courtroom proceduresa. Until recently, the courts were reluctant to accept the uncorroborated statements of child witnessesb. Since the 1980’s more children are being admitted as witnessesc. The legal system has been forced to change some of its rules concerning the admissibility of child witnesses’ testimonyd. More children have been allowed to provide uncorroborated testimony, leading courts to turn to psychological researche. Courtroom procedures have had to be modified to address the issue of children being admitted as witnessesf. Courts tend to rely on the testimony of “Expert” witnessesg. Courts need to recognize that pre-school children are more vulnerable to suggestion, children can indeed be lead to make false or inaccurate reports about very crucial eventsX. Highly publicized casesa. Shared elements:i. The witnesses were pre-schoolers at the time of abuseii. The children did not disclose the information immediately after the alleged abuse; it came after a long delayiii. Intensive interviewing by various people often proceeded the disclosuresiv. The children were the ONLY witnessesv. Corroborative physical evidence was lackingvi. None of the defendants ever made a confession; they maintained their innocenceXI. Summarya. Children are often the only witnesses to their abuseb. Because of the tendency to believe children, some adults have been falsely accusedc. “expert” witnesses often do not have the background or experience necessary to testify appropriatelyi. Research can help inform the