Whether as eyewitnesses or victims, children are often interviewed to provide evidence for forensic investigations. But strategies that may work for interviewing adults often do not work on children. Because of children's incomplete language development, their greater risk of retrieving inaccurate information in response to memory cues, and their desire to say what they think the interviewer wants to hear (whether truthful or not), their testimony can be unreliable. Sometimes, the interviewer's challenge is a child who does not want to talk at all. In Interviewing Children: The Science of Conversation in Forensic Contexts, Debra Poole introduces the science of interviewing children by explaining the problems that can arise when adults talk to children and how a forensic perspective mitigates these problems. She discusses child development considerations and presents a flexible approach to interviewing children. Through her descriptions of best practices, brief summaries of supporting research, example interview dialogs, answers to common questions from practitioners, and a final section for trainers and policymakers, Poole provides a roadmap for anyone working in a forensic context. This book is essential reading for those who interview children, supervise interviewers, review interview findings, or craft local policies about interviewing children. Contents: Acknowledgments Introduction The Science of Interviewing ChildrenThe Forensic PerspectiveConversational HabitsConventional Content: Early Interview PhasesConventional Content: Case Issues PhasesCase-Specific Decisions and ExplorationProtocols and Interviewer Training References Subject Index About the Author Author Bio: Debra A. Poole, PhD, is a professor of psychology at Central Michigan University. Since receiving a doctorate in developmental psychology from the University of Iowa, she has conducted studies on children's eyewitness testimony and interviewing techniques. Her research, funded by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health and the National Science Foundation, has explored the effects of repeated questioning, how children respond to different question forms, the influence of misinformation from parents on children's event narratives, children's ability to report the sources of their knowledge, and the risks and benefits of interview props. Dr. Poole has worked with policy groups in Michigan and Maine to craft interview protocols and is on the editorial boards of the journals Law and Human Behavior; Psychology, Public Policy, and Law; and the Journal of Applied Research in Memory and Cognition. |