“It Sounds Good in Theory, But...”: Do Investigative Interviewers Follow Guidelines Based on Memory Research?

Abstract

We compared 42 transcripts of sexual abuse interviews conducted by child protective services personnel in one state to practices currently recommended by researchers on children's testimony. Although the majority of the interviewers attempted to establish rapport, they rarely conducted practice interviews regarding past, neutral events, and rarely informed children that “I don't know,”“I don't understand,” and “I don't remember” are acceptable answers to questions. Further, the majority of the interviewers failed to begin their abuse-related questioning with general, open-ended questions, instead relying primarily on specific, yes/no questions throughout the interview. Finally, interviewers frequently introduced new material not previously disclosed by the children and failed to clarify the sources of new information.