Children: Suggestibility of

Abstract

The suggestibility of children is particularly important to consider when children are responsible for providing eyewitness accounts. Young children are especially vulnerable to internal and external forms of suggestibility, although research findings are mixed to the exact extent of suggestibility on memory. To decrease children's susceptibility to suggestion, it is typically recommended that children are interviewed in a nonleading manner as soon as possible after the event and protected from social forms of pressure (e.g., from parents or peers). Interviewing children in a nonleading manner involves using free recall and open‐ended questions. The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the cognitive interview are both examples of interviewing techniques that primarily use free recall and open‐ended questioning. Certain individual traits have also been associated with resistance to false suggestions, such as language skills, verbal ability, self‐esteem, and parental attachment style. However, it is important to note that, these traits have not been consistently related to suggestibility. Research has also been mixed on whether children are less suggestible about negative or taboo events when compared to more positive or neutral events. Reducing suggestibility during interviews is one step in preventing wrongful convictions while also protecting the credibility of children as witnesses.