A Constructivist Perspective on Mother-Child Conversations and Children's Eyewitness Memory

Comments on the article by G. F. Principe and K. London (see record 2023-02505-001). Extending the rich literature on mother–child conversations about past events, Principe and London skillfully show how mothers’ beliefs about the events in question—whether accurate or inaccurate—can shape their con...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of applied research in memory and cognition 2022-09, Vol.11 (3), p.334-337
Main Authors: Ornstein, Peter A., Thomas, Taylor E.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Childhood Development
Constructivism
Conversation
Legal Testimony
Memory
Mother Child Relations
Suggestibility
Witnesses
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Comments on the article by G. F. Principe and K. London (see record 2023-02505-001). Extending the rich literature on mother–child conversations about past events, Principe and London skillfully show how mothers’ beliefs about the events in question—whether accurate or inaccurate—can shape their conversations with their young children in ways that elicit reports that are consistent with these beliefs. In this commentary, the authors make use of a constructivist perspective to reflect on salient aspects of Principe and London’s contributions to what we know about memory and its development and how they can be applied in the legal context. Moreover, recognizing that assessments of children’s cognitive skills are often quite context-specific, they discuss additional research that is necessary to understand more completely the potential influences of mother–child conversations on children’s testimony in legal settings. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved)
ISSN:2211-3681
2211-369X
DOI:10.1037/mac0000068