Semester

Summer

Date of Graduation

2004

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MA

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Matthew Scullin.

Committee Co-Chair

Lindsey Cohen

Committee Member

Stanley Cohen

Abstract

The present study examined a novel interview technique and its effectiveness when administered to 3- to 7-year-old children. This novel interview technique isolated the effects of source-monitoring training (SMT). All of the children in the present study viewed a video of a magic show and after a one-week delay were asked both misleading and accurate questions about the magic show video. After another one-week delay the children were randomly assigned to either the SMT group or the control group. The SMT group received source-monitoring training prior to the final interview about the magic show video. The control group received no training and was interviewed with the same final interview, which included empirically supported interview techniques and was made up of free recall and questioning portions. Results were intended to investigate if SMT would result in a difference in the amount of accurate recall between the two groups even with the control group receiving an empirically sound final interview. The results were mixed such that the SMT group displayed more accurate recall as compared to the control group when the questioning format was used but not when the free recall format was used. Age differences were found during both the free recall and questioning portions of the final interview, as well as during other measures of accurate recall during the SMT such that the 5- to 7-year-olds displayed more accurate recall as compared to the 3- to 4-year-olds. Findings suggest that SMT may increase accurate recall if a closed-questioning format is used and that the discovery of interview techniques that improve the accurate recall of 3- and 4-year-old children is essential.

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