Perspectives on Children’s Testimony

Perspectives on Children's Testimony presents current empirical research on the factors which influence adults' perceptions of the child witness. This volume provides researchers in both the psychological and the criminal justice communities with knowledge about adult beliefs regarding child witnesses, how these beliefs may influence jury verdicts, and the relationship of these perceptions to the credibility and accuracy of children's testimony. A variety of new techniques are employed in assessing adult views of child witnesses. Special features of the volume include: an in-depth treatment of techniques of interviewing child victims of sexual abuse, an examination of children's perceptions and knowledge of the legal system, and critical and theoretical integrations of the original, empirical papers.

1 Determinants of the Child Victim’s Perceived Credibility.- 2 The Perceived Credibility of Child Eyewitnesses: What Happens When They Use Their Own Words?.- 3 Age Stereotypes, Communication Modality, and Mock Jurors’ Perceptions of the Child Witness.- 4 When Juries “Hear” Children Testify: The Effects of Eyewitness Age and Speech Style on Jurors’ Perceptions of Testimony.- 5 The Credibility of Children as Witnesses in a Simulated Child Sex Abuse Trial.- 6 The Opinions and Practices of Criminal Attorneys Regarding Child Eyewitnesses: A Survey.- 7 Children’s Conceptions of the Legal System: “Court Is a Place to Play Basketball”.- 8 What Do Children Know about the Legal System and When Do They Know It? First Steps Down a Less Traveled Path in Child Witness Research.- 9 Problems in Evaluating Interviews of Children in Sexual Abuse Cases.- 10 The Impact of New Child Witness Research on Sexual Abuse Prosecutions.- 11 Research on Children’s Eyewitness Testimony: Perspectives on Its Past and Future.- Author Index.