Face-to-face confrontation: Effects of closed-circuit technology on children's eyewitness testimony and jurors' decisions.

Abstract

The present study was designed to examine effects of closed-circuit technology on children's testimony and jurors' perceptions of child witnesses. For the study, a series of elaborately staged mock trials )Vas held. First, 5to (ryear-ald and 8to 9-year-old children individually pal1icipated in a play session with an unfamiliar male confederate. Approximately 2 weeks late); children individually testified about the event at a downtown city courtroom. Mock juries composed of community recruits viewed the lrials, with the child's testimony presented either live in open courl or over closed-circuit television. Mock jurors made ratings concerning the child witness and the defendant, ant! deliberated to reach a verdict. Results indicated that overall, older children were more accurate witnesses than younger children. Howevel; older, not younger children produced more inaccurate infO/mation in free recall. Compared to live testimony in open court, use of closed-circuit technolag)' led to decreased suggestibility for younger children. TestiJYing in open COlirt was also a~sociated with children experiencing greater pretrial anxiety. Closed-circuit technology did not diminish factfinders' abilities to discriminate accurate from inaccurate child testimony, nor did it directly bias jurors against the defendant. However; closed-circuit testimony biased jurors against child witnesses. Moreover; jurors tended to base their impressions of witness credibility on perceived confidence and consistency. Implications for the use of closed-circuit technology when children testiJY are discussed.

Gaze aversion: A response to cognitive or social difficulty?

“…The fact that the children in the present study averted their gaze from the questioner less during video link interactions suggests that they too were less intimidated. It is yet to be established whether the gazing behavior of child witnesses, either in open court or across LVLs, influences how credible jurors perceive them to be, an extremely important issue for the court process (Goodman et al, 1998).…”

Conformidade entre testemunhas oculares: efeitos de falsas informações nos relatos criminais

“…Asch (1958) mostrou como seus participantes facilmente entravam em consenso com um grupo de confederados. Um exemplo de estudo sobre testemunhas oculares utilizando confederados incluiu um homem desconhecido em uma interação com uma criança (Goodman et al, 1998).…”

Remembering remotely: would video-mediation impair witnesses' memory reports?

“…In one study, negotiating dyads who believed they were physically distant from each other achieved better agreements than did dyads who believed they were physically close (Henderson, 2011). In another study, children questioned by a remote rather than physically-present adult reported equivalent amounts of correct information, but fewer incorrect details (Doherty-Sneddon & McAuley, 2000; see also Goodman et al, 1998). The authors suggested that videomediation increased the children's confidence and made them feel less intimidated.…”