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Question 1

challenges of interviews w/ child

Answer 1

• developmental challenges: difficulty w/ understanding questions
• reluctance to discuss: fear about consequences; shame, embarrassment, self-blame, lack of trust
• suggestibility

Question 2

types of research about child interviewing

Answer 2

• field studies of child witnesses
• lab analogue studies of recall/memory–more control, experimentally manipulate
• empirically developed protocols for interviewing

Question 3

evidence-based interviewing recommendations

Answer 3

• preparation
• information-gathering
• closure

Question 4

preparation

Answer 4

1st phase; introduction, rapport-building, promise to tell the truth, narrative practice, instructions about what the interview is going to be like

Question 5

information-gathering

Answer 5

2nd phase; free call with open-ended follow-up questions, close-ended questions for clarification

Question 6

closure

Answer 6

3rd phase; child can ask questions, resolve any distress

Question 7

setting

Answer 7

• age-appropriate, private, child-friendly setting
• minimal distractions
• generally w/out parent

Question 8

interviewer demeanor

Answer 8

• supportive, yet non-suggestive

- eye contact, relaxed posture, warm tone

Question 9

reluctance/rapport-building

Answer 9

• avoid pressuring reluctant children
• too much pressure may result in inaccurate reporting, desire to please, inconsistency in reports–can work against the case being substantiated

Question 10

suggestibility

Answer 10

• coercive interview techniques can produce false allegations
• avoid selective reinforcement (e.g. rewarding desired responses), use of authority, & use of repetitive suggestive questions (e.g., are you sure?)
• need to make child feel as if they are the professionals that they know it all so they are more willing to share info

Question 11

additional techniques

Answer 11

• narrative practice
• open-ended questions vs close-ended
• understandable phrasing
• permission to say “IDK’ or “I don’t understand”
• warning children about misleading question
• telling children that you don’t know what happened
• eliciting a promise to tell the truth

Question 12

importance of good interviewing

Answer 12

-interviewing: 1st step of intervention–need to accurately identify children at risk; can influence likelihood of engagement in treatment