Citation

Lamb ME, Orbach Y, Hershkowitz I, Esplin PW, Horowitz D. Child Abuse Negl. 2007; 31(11-12): 1201-1231.

Affiliation

Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.

Comment In:

Child Abuse Negl 2008;32(11):1003-6

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.03.021

PMID

18023872

PMCID

PMC2180422

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To show how the results of research on children's memory, communicative skills, social knowledge, and social tendencies can be translated into guidelines that improve the quality of forensic interviews of children. METHOD: We review studies designed to evaluate children's capacities as witnesses, explain the development of the structured NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol, and discuss studies designed to assess whether use of the Protocol enhances the quality of investigative interviews. RESULTS: Controlled studies have repeatedly shown that the quality of interviewing reliably and dramatically improves when interviewers employ the NICHD Protocol. No other technique has been proven to be similarly effective. CONCLUSIONS: Use of the structured NICHD Protocol improves the quality of information obtained from alleged victims by investigators, thereby increasing the likelihood that interventions will be appropriate.

Language: en