Citation

Durkin K, Jeffery L. Leg. Crim. Psychol. 2000; 5(1): 47-55.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, British Psychological Society, Publisher John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1348/135532500167967

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Purpose. Children's understanding of the role and powers of legal personnel is fundamental to their comprehension of legal processes. This study investigates the possibility that young children's understanding of police authority to arrest may be dominated by visual cues, namely the presence of a police uniform. Method. Children aged 5, 7 and 9 years were presented with illustrated scenarios in which they were requested to identify who could carry out an arrest. Response alternatives were: a policeman out of uniform; a man who is not a policeman but is wearing a police uniform; and a third man who is not a policeman but wears a different uniform. Results. Correct performance on the task increased with age. Errors consisted mainly of choices of the non-policeman in police uniform. Conclusions. The findings indicate that children's initial perceptions of police status are dominated by superficial aspects of appearance which are more directly accessible than matters of societally conferred status. This has implications for theory and practice concerning children and the law.

Language: en