Children in Eyewitness
Psychology 2330, Fall 2011
Children in Eyewitness
Children’s Eyewitness Memory for Multiple Real-Life Events
Uniforms Affect the Accuracy of Children’s Eyewitness Identification Decisions
The Effect of Repeated Questioning on Children's Accuracy and Consistency in Eyewitness Testimony
Eyewitnesses have always played a significant role in criminal justice system and gradually gain its importance in courtroom proceeding. The presence of eyewitnesses in courtroom is an important factor in determining the effectiveness of jury in decision-making and could greatly alter the outcome of criminal prosecution. In the past few years, the controversial issue of whether a child is a legitimate eyewitness has drawn high attention of social scientists and members of legal profession, and till now, it remains a hot topic among psychologists. Many psychologists and researchers doubt the credibility and the accuracy of children eyewitness and children’s abilities of free-recalling after a stressful event. Since eyewitness evidence has the potential to influence jury in decision-making, the age aspect of this problem is critical in eyewitness testimony.
Children’s Eyewitness Memory for Multiple Real-Life Events The scientific studies has shown that the fallibility of children eyewitnesses is somewhat higher than adult eyewitnesses based on their past experience and prior knowledge (Joseph, Hartmut, & James, 2010). A study conducted by Valerie and Charles (2009) examined children’s accuracy of free recall for a series of similar real-life events and whether children’s prior knowledge will influence recognition memory. Forty children, aged from 5 to 12 years old, were invited to four birthday parties with different themes and were interviewed about the parties 10 days later. Each party consisted of three different areas: crafts, stories, or games. Participants were allocated to different group based on their age and went to different areas. While in a given
Children in Eyewitness
Children’s Eyewitness Memory for Multiple Real-Life Events
Uniforms Affect the Accuracy of Children’s Eyewitness Identification Decisions
The Effect of Repeated Questioning on Children's Accuracy and Consistency in Eyewitness Testimony
Eyewitnesses have always played a significant role in criminal justice system and gradually gain its importance in courtroom proceeding. The presence of eyewitnesses in courtroom is an important factor in determining the effectiveness of jury in decision-making and could greatly alter the outcome of criminal prosecution. In the past few years, the controversial issue of whether a child is a legitimate eyewitness has drawn high attention of social scientists and members of legal profession, and till now, it remains a hot topic among psychologists. Many psychologists and researchers doubt the credibility and the accuracy of children eyewitness and children’s abilities of free-recalling after a stressful event. Since eyewitness evidence has the potential to influence jury in decision-making, the age aspect of this problem is critical in eyewitness testimony.
Children’s Eyewitness Memory for Multiple Real-Life Events The scientific studies has shown that the fallibility of children eyewitnesses is somewhat higher than adult eyewitnesses based on their past experience and prior knowledge (Joseph, Hartmut, & James, 2010). A study conducted by Valerie and Charles (2009) examined children’s accuracy of free recall for a series of similar real-life events and whether children’s prior knowledge will influence recognition memory. Forty children, aged from 5 to 12 years old, were invited to four birthday parties with different themes and were interviewed about the parties 10 days later. Each party consisted of three different areas: crafts, stories, or games. Participants were allocated to different group based on their age and went to different areas. While in a given