Perspectives on Children’s Testimony

✍ Scribed by Gail S. Goodman, Bette L. Bottoms (auth.), Stephen J. Ceci, David F. Ross, Michael P. Toglia (eds.)

• Publisher: Springer-Verlag New York
• Year: 1989
• Tongue: English
• Leaves: 266
• Edition: 1
• Category: Library

✦ Synopsis

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.

✦ Table of Contents

Front Matter....Pages i-xi
Determinants of the Child Victim’s Perceived Credibility....Pages 1-22
The Perceived Credibility of Child Eyewitnesses: What Happens When They Use Their Own Words?....Pages 23-36
Age Stereotypes, Communication Modality, and Mock Jurors’ Perceptions of the Child Witness....Pages 37-56
When Juries “Hear” Children Testify: The Effects of Eyewitness Age and Speech Style on Jurors’ Perceptions of Testimony....Pages 57-70
The Credibility of Children as Witnesses in a Simulated Child Sex Abuse Trial....Pages 71-99
The Opinions and Practices of Criminal Attorneys Regarding Child Eyewitnesses: A Survey....Pages 100-130
Children’s Conceptions of the Legal System: “Court Is a Place to Play Basketball”....Pages 131-157
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....Pages 158-183
Problems in Evaluating Interviews of Children in Sexual Abuse Cases....Pages 184-207
The Impact of New Child Witness Research on Sexual Abuse Prosecutions....Pages 208-229
Research on Children’s Eyewitness Testimony: Perspectives on Its Past and Future....Pages 230-247
Back Matter....Pages 249-259

✦ Subjects

Psychology, general; Criminal Law; Psychiatry