Detecting children's true and false denials of wrongdoing: Effects of question type and base rate knowledge

Domagalski, Kirsten; Gongola, Jennifer; Lyon, Thomas D.; Clark, Steven E.; Quas, Jodi A.

doi:10.1002/bsl.2487

Cited by 8 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 59 publications

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“…This influence has been shown specifically in the case of evaluating the accuracy of the accounts of others. This work has shown that giving participants information about prior probabilities (e.g., telling them that of the statements they will hear 50% will be true and the other 50% will be false) does change their evaluations of the statements of others, specifically by decreasing the presence of ‘truth bias’, where people tend to believe others are telling the truth more often than they actually are, despite not increasing the accuracy of evaluations (Domagalski et al, 2020; Kassin et al, 2005). Thus, prior probabilities may be playing a role in interpretations of evidence, although their influence is unlikely to be statistically correct in a Bayesian sense (see also Smith et al, 1996 on juror use of probabilistic evidence).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence estimates as priors: Juror characteristics, perceived base rates, and verdicts in cases reliant on complainant and defendant testimony

Helm

Growns

2022

Applied Cognitive Psychology

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Jurors often have to make decisions about whether they believe a complainant's or defendant's account of an event. However, the relative ambiguity of cues in testimony creates a situation where juror evaluations can vary significantly. As a result, in cases heavily reliant on testimony there is a particular likelihood that juror characteristics will be associated with verdicts, and it is important to understand these associations. This research investigates the relationships between two juror characteristics-gender and cultural worldviews-and verdicts in two such cases, and the potential for those relationships to be explained by differences in perceived prevalence of alleged events acting as prior probability judgements. As predicted, results show significant relationships between gender and cultural worldview and verdicts and show that these relationships are mediated by differences in underlying prevalence estimates. These findings have important implications for understanding associations between juror characteristics and verdicts, and related policy.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prevalence estimates as priors: Juror characteristics, perceived base rates, and verdicts in cases reliant on complainant and defendant testimony

Helm

Growns

2022

Applied Cognitive Psychology

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“…11 14 Unfortunately, lessons from the past make us aware that the use of developed tools to facilitate disclosure, such as dolls and diagrams, even by professionals, can lead to false positive results. [18][19][20] This can have major consequences, especially if such findings are used during the legal process, as was shown in notorious cases of false allegations of CSA. [21][22][23][24] The current lack of scientific substantiation and the risk of improper tool use emphasise the importance of developing reliable, structured, evidence-based and uniform methods to support the diagnosis of CSA in clinical practice.…”

Section: What This Study Addsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The limited verbal capacity of young children may hamper their ability to express their experiences, thoughts and feelings even more 11 14. Unfortunately, lessons from the past make us aware that the use of developed tools to facilitate disclosure, such as dolls and diagrams, even by professionals, can lead to false positive results 18–20. This can have major consequences, especially if such findings are used during the legal process, as was shown in notorious cases of false allegations of CSA 21–24.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reliability of the Sexual Knowledge Picture Instrument: a potential diagnostic instrument for sexual abuse in young children

Ham

Bolt

Doesterling

et al. 2022

bmjpo

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ObjectiveTo determine the intra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the Sexual Knowledge Picture Instrument (SKPI), a potential diagnostic instrument for young suspected victims of sexual abuse containing three scoring forms, that is, verbal responses, non-verbal reactions and red flags.DesignVideo-recorded SKPI interviews with children with and without suspicion of child sexual abuse were observed and scored by two trained, independent raters. The second rater repeated the assessment 6 weeks after initial rating to evaluate for intra-rater reliability.Subjects78 children aged 3–9 years old were included in the study. 39 of those included had known suspicion of sexual abuse and the other 39 had no suspicion.Main outcome measuresIntra-rater and inter-rater reliability of the scores per study group and in the total sample were assessed by Cohen’s kappa and percentage of agreement (POA).ResultsThe median intra-rater Cohen’s kappa exceeded 0.90 and the POA exceeded 95 for all three forms in both study groups, except for the red flag form (median Cohen’s kappa 0.54 and POA 87 in the suspected group, and 0.84 and 92, respectively, in the total sample). For the verbal scoring form the median inter-rater Cohen’s kappa and POA were 1.00 and 100, respectively, in both groups. For the non-verbal form the median inter-rater kappa and POA were 0.37 and 97, respectively, in the suspected group, and 0.47 and 100, respectively, in the control group. For the red flag form, they were 0.37 and 76, respectively, in the suspected group and 0.42 and 77, respectively, in the control group.ConclusionThe reliability of the SKPI verbal form was sufficient, but there is room for improvement in the non-verbal and red flag scoring forms. These forms may be improved by adjusting the manual and improving rater training.

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“…Adults are poor at accurately detecting deception in children, with studies reporting that adults perform slightly above chance levels (Domagalski et al., 2020; Edelstein et al., 2006; Gongola et al., 2017; Talwar et al., 2009; Wyman et al., 2019). A meta‐analysis revealed that adults' accuracy rates for detecting deception in children were around 47.5% (Gongola et al., 2017).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A meta‐analysis revealed that adults' accuracy rates for detecting deception in children were around 47.5% (Gongola et al., 2017). Adults have a tendency to exhibit a truth bias by taking reports at face value and believing child senders (Bond & DePaulo, 2006; Domagalski et al., 2020; Vrij et al., 2010). Moreover, police officers are generally no better than laypeople at accurately detecting deception in children (Leach et al., 2004; Vrij et al., 2006).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Police officers' perceptions and experiences of promoting honesty in child victims and witnesses

Salhab,

Akehurst,

Cassidy

et al. 2023

Legal Criminol Psychol

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PurposeThis two‐phase study employed a mixed‐methods design to explore UK police officers' perceptions and experiences of promoting honesty in child witnesses with a special focus on the recommended inclusion of Truth‐Lies Discussions (TLDs) at the start of interviews with children.MethodIn Phase 1, police officers completed an online survey designed to cover their experiences and perceptions regarding truth‐promotion with child witnesses. In Phase 2, police officers were individually interviewed to elicit an in‐depth understanding of current practice relating to this aspect of investigative interviews with children.ResultsAround half of the survey respondents believed that TLDs promote honesty in children. The majority reported always using TLDs during interviews to ensure compliance with UK best‐practice guidance. There was evidence of a misconception among some police officers that children's performance on TLDs was related to their subsequent truth‐telling behaviour. Following analysis of the interview transcripts, we found a main theme of police officers' uses of TLDs, which included (i) gauging children's conceptual understanding of truths/lies, (ii) ensuring no deviation from guidance and (iii) communicating children's credibility to the court. A second main theme revealed the challenges and obstacles police officers perceived when embarking on TLDs. These were that (i) one type of TLD is not suitable for all children, (ii) the training is insignificant and the application is inappropriate and (iii) participants sometimes use alternative strategies to promote honesty with children.ConclusionPolice officers reported following guidance because a failure to do so would jeopordise children's testimony and provided recommendations for future practice‐informed research designs to test techniques for the promotion of honesty in child witnesses.

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Detecting children's true and false denials of wrongdoing: Effects of question type and base rate knowledge

Abstract: One common and unfortunately overlooked obstacle to the detection of sexual abuse is non-disclosure by children. Non-disclosure in forensic interviews may be expressed via concealment in response to recall questions or via active denials in response to recognition (e.g., yes/no) questions.

Cited by 8 publications

References 59 publications

Prevalence estimates as priors: Juror characteristics, perceived base rates, and verdicts in cases reliant on complainant and defendant testimony

Prevalence estimates as priors: Juror characteristics, perceived base rates, and verdicts in cases reliant on complainant and defendant testimony

Reliability of the Sexual Knowledge Picture Instrument: a potential diagnostic instrument for sexual abuse in young children

Police officers' perceptions and experiences of promoting honesty in child victims and witnesses

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