title: The Productivity of Wh- Prompts in Child Forensic Interviews.
abstract: Child witnesses are often asked wh- prompts (what, how, why, who, when, where) in forensic interviews. However, little research has examined the ways in which children respond to different wh- prompts, and no previous research has investigated productivity differences among wh- prompts in investigative interviews. This study examined the use and productivity of wh- prompts in 95 transcripts of 4- to 13-year-olds alleging sexual abuse in child investigative interviews. What-how questions about actions elicited the most productive responses during both the rapport building and substantive phases. Future research and practitioner training should consider distinguishing among different wh- prompts.
authors.affiliation: 1 University of Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Elizabeth C
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Ahern
authors.affiliation: 1 University of Cambridge, UK.
authors.forename: Samantha J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.affiliation: 2 Arizona State University, Phoenix, AZ, USA.
authors.forename: Stacia N
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Stolzenberg
authors.affiliation: 3 University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
authors.forename: Thomas D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Lyon
mesh_terms: D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000523:psychology*; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D014342:Truth Disclosure
keywords: child sexual abuse; forensic interviewing; question types; rapport building; wh- prompts