Date of Graduation
2013
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Type
MS
Committee Chair
Elisa Krackow
Abstract
It is not uncommon for children to be called to testify as eyewitnesses in court cases. In cases of child sexual abuse, children are often the only witness to the crime and are thus relied upon for truthful testimony in the case. Given a number of different forensic interviewing techniques, jurors may find themselves looking at some interview techniques as more credible and truth-inducing than others. This study aimed to find how much, if any, influence the type of interview used with the child has on the individual juror. It also aimed to assess the effect that presenting research findings about the quantity and accuracy of recall elicited by the interviewing technique may have on juror’s perceptions. Undergraduate student mock jurors were presented with a vignette of a preschool-aged child who was interviewed using a desirable or undesirable forensic interviewing technique. Participants were then asked to provide child credibility and defendant guilt ratings as well as indicate how easily their minds could be changed after jury deliberation. All findings indicated that interview technique and research regarding techniques had no effect on child credibility and defendant guilt ratings. Limitations and future research directions are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Tessier, Pamela, "Do forensic interviewing methods or the presentation of research findings effect juror's perceptions of child witnesses?" (2013). Graduate Theses, Dissertations, and Problem Reports. 11143.
https://researchrepository.wvu.edu/etd/11143