title: Do Prosecutors Use Interview Instructions or Build Rapport with Child Witnesses?
abstract: This study examined the quality of interview instructions and rapport-building provided by prosecutors to 168 children aged 5-12 years testifying in child sexual abuse cases, preceding explicit questions about abuse allegations. Prosecutors failed to effectively administer key interview instructions, build rapport, or rely on open-ended narrative producing prompts during this early stage of questioning. Moreover, prosecutors often directed children's attention to the defendant early in the testimony. The productivity of different types of wh- questions varied, with what/how questions focusing on actions being particularly productive. The lack of instructions, poor quality rapport-building, and closed-ended questioning suggest that children may not be adequately prepared during trial to provide lengthy and reliable reports to their full ability.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Free School Lane, Cambridge, CB2 3RQ, UK.
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Ahern
authors.affiliation: Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ.
authors.forename: Stacia N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Stolzenberg
authors.affiliation: University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA.
authors.forename: Thomas D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Lyon
mesh_terms: D000704:Analysis of Variance; D002140:California; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000523:psychology*; D002652:Child Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003142:Communication; D003416:Criminal Law; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D007603:Jurisprudence; D008297:Male; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D014342:Truth Disclosure