Citation

Gilstrap LL. J. Exp. Psychol. Appl. 2004; 10(1): 13-24.

Affiliation

University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Colorado Springs, CO, USA. gilstrap@uccs.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, American Psychological Association)

DOI

10.1037/1076-898X.10.1.13

PMID

15053699

Abstract

Despite suggestibility researchers' focus on adult behaviors that distort children's reports, whether behaviors examined in experimental work are used in the field is unknown. The current study presents a mutually exclusive and exhaustive hierarchical coding system that reflects interview questioning behaviors of concern in experimental work. The study examined 80 unstructured interviews conducted by 41 field interviewers with 40 children ages 3 to 7 about known events. Data on the use of leading and neutral questions are presented and include distinctions between accurate and inaccurate suggested information. In addition, analyses show that interviewers are consistent in their style of questioning and that a preinterview measure of interviewers' preference for a qualitative versus a quantitative interviewing style predicted the introduction of novel information into the interview.

Language: en