Forensic Interviewing Aids: Do Props Help Children Answer Questions About Touching?

The belief that props help children report abuse has fostered the widespread use of anatomical dolls and body diagrams in forensic interviews. Yet studies involving alleged abuse victims, children who have experienced medical examinations, and children who have participated in staged events have fai...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Current directions in psychological science : a journal of the American Psychological Society 2011-02, Vol.20 (1), p.11-15
Main Authors: Poole, Debra Ann, Bruck, Maggie, Pipe, Margaret-Ellen
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Anatomy
Child abuse
Child abuse & neglect
Child molestation
Child psychology
Children & youth
Diagrams
Dolls
Forensic psychiatry
Forensic testimony
Genitalia
Interviews
Juvenile victims
Nonverbal communication
Patient assessment
Questioning
School age children
Stage props
Touch
Witnesses
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Summary:The belief that props help children report abuse has fostered the widespread use of anatomical dolls and body diagrams in forensic interviews. Yet studies involving alleged abuse victims, children who have experienced medical examinations, and children who have participated in staged events have failed to find consistent evidence that props improve young children's ability to report key information related to bodily contact. Because props elevate the risk of erroneous touch reports, interviewers need to reconsider the belief that props are developmentally appropriate in forensic interviews, and researchers need to explore new approaches for eliciting disclosures of inappropriate touching.
ISSN:0963-7214
1467-8721
DOI:10.1177/0963721410388804