Effects of Interviewer Support on Children’s Memory and Suggestibility: Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses of Experimental Research

Abstract

The accuracy of children's reports of abuse has been hotly debated in the press, academia, and the courtroom. Yet, children's accuracy depends, in part, on the context in which children are interviewed. Guidelines often recommend creating a supportive psychosocial context to promote open, honest responding; however, there is also concern that support promotes social desirability and acquiescence to suggestion, leading children to report more of what they perceive adults want to hear than the truth. The question remains as to whether there is a sufficient body of scientific research to determine whether interviewer supportiveness improves interview outcomes while minimizing children's stress or whether it increases suggestibility and impairs accuracy. Using a systematic search strategy and meta-analyses, this study identifies and reviews findings from experimental studies of the effects of interviewer supportiveness on the accuracy of children's reports. Although the number of studies in the evidence base is small (n ¼ 15), the studies are of relatively good quality. Results suggest noncontingent interviewer support bolsters children's accuracy. Children are more resistant and less acquiescent to suggestive questions when interviewers are supportive as compared to nonsupportive or neutral. Effects are in the moderate range. Interviewer support is also associated with fewer errors on nonsuggestive questions. Discussion focuses on implications for practice; directions for future research; identifying vulnerable subgroups; and underlying cognitive, social, and emotional mechanisms.

Facilitating the Expression of Emotions by Alleged Victims of Child Abuse During Investigative Interviews Using the Revised NICHD Protocol

“…In addition to their utility in fostering the credibility of children's testimony, we found that emotions fostered the retrieval of forensically valuable information. Previous analog studies have shown that informativeness (e.g., Davis & Bottoms, 2002;Quas, Bauer, & Boyce, 2004) and accuracy (for meta-analysis, see Saywitz et al, 2016) increase when interviewers adopt a supportive demeanor. There is also substantial evidence that emotions can enhance children's FACILITATING THE EXPRESSION OF EMOTIONS 16 memory retrieval (see Hamann & Stevens, 2014 for review) but this was the first study to examine displays of emotion in forensic contexts and to show that the expression of emotions accounts for the association between supportive interviewing and informativeness, suggesting an indirect pathway between support, emotion reinstatement, and retrieval.…”

Is interviewer support associated with the reduced reluctance and enhanced informativeness of alleged child abuse victims?

“…Studies of non-reluctant children were the first to show the beneficial effects of support on cognitive performance and interview outcomes when interviewers were warm and friendly, smiled, maintained eye contact, adopted open postures, and expressed interest in what the children said (e.g., Davis & Bottoms, 2002;Quas, Bauer, & Boyce, 2004). Further studies (for a meta-analysis, see Saywitz, Wells, Larson, & Hobbs, 2016) established that supportive interviews predicted more rather than less accurate information than did neutral or non-supportive interviews, even in response to suggestive questions. At least in these analog studies, however, supportive behavior was not associated with increases in the total amount of information provided, perhaps because the participants in such studies were highly motivated to be cooperative regardless of variations in the interviewers' behavior.…”

Self-Representation: Pro se Cross-Examination and Revisiting Trauma upon Child Witnesses

“…In any case, in terms of general interviewing techniques, there is an abundance of empirical research showing that children are more accurate and less suggestible when interviewed by a supportive interviewer compared to when interviewed by an unsupportive or neutral interviewer (Davis and Bottoms 2002;Goodman et al 1991a;Hershkowitz et al 2006;Klemfuss et al 2013;Quas et al 2004;Quas and Lench 2007;Saywitz et al 2014;Saywitz et al 2016). Indeed, during police interviews, unsupportive or intimidating questioning is associated with increased suggestibility and impaired performance (Davies and Wescott 1999).…”

“…It seems reasonable to expect these effects would be even stronger with a defendant pro se, who, as the accused, is likely to be viewed by the child as intimidating. Researchers recommend that if interviewers want to obtain the best possible information from children, the interviewers should be warm and friendly and have an objective nonjudgmental stance (Cronch et al 2006;Saywitz et al 2016).…”

“…Appointing an intermediary (e.g., an attorney) to conduct cross-examination of child witnesses can be beneficial to both the prosecution and the defense by alleviating children's anxiety (e.g., Eastwood and Patton 2002;Hobbs et al 2014;Quas and Goodman 2012) and increasing witness accuracy (Oei et al 2006;Saywitz et al 2016;Zajac et al 2012), while comporting with laypersons' view of procedural justice in cases involving child victims (Batterman-Faunce and Goodman 1993). We acknowledge, however, that such a proposal may pass muster under the U.S. Constitution only on the basis of a case-by-case determination of particularized need and that a relatively small subset of children might not be traumatized by conventional cross-examination by a defendant.…”