Adults’ perceptions of children’s referentially ambiguous responses

Wylie, Breanne E.; Lyon, Thomas D.; O’Connor, Alison M.; Lapytskaia, Christina; Evans, Angela

doi:10.1080/1068316x.2018.1552757

Cited by 9 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Furthermore, findings revealed no significant differences in children’s accuracy when answering Why or How Come questions. Although past studies have combined these two questions in analyses, as there are no differences in the productivity of children’s responses (see Andrews et al, 2016), research also suggests that semantic differences in question forms can influence how the question is interpreted, and in turn the accuracy of children’s responses (see Evans et al, 2014; Wylie et al, 2019). Therefore, given the differing interpretations of Why (e.g., accusatory and critical) and How Come questions (e.g., surprise and disbelief), we examined these questions separately, with the goal of informing best practices for phrasing questions to young children.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Additionally, past research has grouped Why and How Come questions together in analyses, as there were no differences in the productivity of their responses (e.g., Andrews et al, 2016). However, research suggests that minor differences in semantics can influence interpretations of the question and in turn the accuracy of children’s responses (e.g., Evans et al, 2014; Wylie et al, 2019). For example, How Come questions may express greater surprise or disbelief, whereas Why questions are more accusatory or critical which may lead children to justify their actions rather than accurately describe the cause of the event (Walker, 1999).…”

Section: The Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

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Children’s accuracy in answering Why and How Come questions

Wylie

Stolzenberg

Evans

2021

International Journal of Behavioral Development

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Children’s developing understanding of language may influence their ability to accurately respond to questions inquiring about their event knowledge (i.e., Why and How Come questions), potentially creating misinterpretations in adult–child communication. The present study examined 120 5-, 7-, and 9-year-old’s accuracy in responding to Why and How Come questions about the cause of their behaviors. Children’s accuracy improved with age, highlighting a developmental milestone whereby children become highly accurate by 7 years of age. Further, the semantic differences in question type did not influence children’s responses, as there were no differences in children’s accuracy when answering Why or How Come questions. The findings from this study highlight the developmental shift in children’s abilities to answer Why and How Come questions, and thus the importance of considering the age and linguistic abilities of the child when inquiring about their event knowledge.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Current Studymentioning

confidence: 99%

Children’s accuracy in answering Why and How Come questions

Wylie

Stolzenberg

Evans

2021

International Journal of Behavioral Development

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“…Research examining children's “no” responses to DYK/R if/whether questions has not found a systematic pattern in whether children are answering the implicit or explicit question (Evans et al, 2017). “Yes” responses are less problematic, because experimental evidence suggests that when children respond “yes” to DYK/R if/whether questions, they are answering the implicit question (Ahern et al, 2016), and this is consistent with adults' typical interpretation of children's “yes” responses (Wylie et al, 2019).…”

mentioning

confidence: 84%

“…Past research by Wylie et al (2019) examining jury‐eligible adults' interpretations of ambiguous responding found that adults rarely recognized the ambiguous nature of unelaborated responses to DYK/R if/whether questions. In that study, adults were presented with child testimony that included referentially ambiguous “yes” and “no” responses to DYK/R if/whether questions.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…When examining adults' ability to identify referentially ambiguous responses, Wylie et al (2019) had participants read transcripts of children testifying in court and then asked participants to recall how children had responded to specific questions. Adults displayed difficulty in recalling that children's “no” responses to DYK/R if/whether questions were ambiguous (often recalling them as answering the direct or indirect question).…”

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confidence: 99%

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The difficulty of teaching adults to recognize referential ambiguity in children's testimony: The influence of explicit instruction and sample questions

Wylie

Gongola

Lyon

et al. 2021

Applied Cognitive Psychology

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Adults often fail to recognize the ambiguity of children's unelaborated responses to “Do you know/remember (DYK/R) if/whether” questions. Two studies examined whether sample questions and/or an explicit instruction would improve adults' ability to recognize referential ambiguity in children's testimony. In Study 1 (N = 383), participants rarely recognized referential ambiguity in the sample questions or in children's testimony, and answering sample questions had no influence on their ability to detect ambiguity in children's testimony. Study 2 (N = 363) attempted to clarify the meaning of ambiguity for participants with explicit instructions. Results revealed that although an explicit instruction improved performance on sample questions, this also led to an overcorrection, and instructions and sample questions only modestly improved adults' ability to recognize referential ambiguity in children's testimony. Ultimately, the absence of an effective strategy for alerting adults to the problem of referential ambiguity highlights the dangers of DYK/R if/whether questions.

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Children's Responses to “Do You Remember …” Questions About Their Memory

Perez,

Todorovic,

London

2024

Applied Cognitive Psychology

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Children's failure to distinguish the literal and implied meaning of “Do you remember …” (DYR) questions can lead to misunderstandings and damage their credibility as witnesses. We examined 65 children's (4–10 years) responses to wh‐ and yes/no questions about a cartoon video. Questions probed about true, false, and unanswerable details. Question format was manipulated as a within‐subjects variable: half the questions were asked directly and half were prefaced with DYR. Most children provided unelaborated “yes” or “no” responses (i.e., referential ambiguity) to DYR yes/no questions. Requests for clarification revealed children were twice as likely to indicate their referentially ambiguous responses were answering the explicit DYR question when asked about false details (24%) than true details (9%). Pragmatic failure (i.e., unelaborated “yes” responses to DYR wh‐ questions) was most often observed when questions probed about true event details. As age increased, children were less likely to demonstrate referential ambiguity and pragmatic failure.

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Adults’ perceptions of children’s referentially ambiguous responses

Cited by 9 publications

References 11 publications

Children’s accuracy in answering Why and How Come questions

Children’s accuracy in answering Why and How Come questions

The difficulty of teaching adults to recognize referential ambiguity in children's testimony: The influence of explicit instruction and sample questions

Children's Responses to “Do You Remember …” Questions About Their Memory

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