Child Abuse
Who are often the first people to question children about abuse, and how can this affect the child?
Parents are usually the first to question their children, and while they are good intentioned, are unable to remain objective and may ask suggestive or leading questions.
Define encoding.
Taking an experience and converting it into a memory.
What was the inciting incident that sparked discussion of false and recovered memories?
The 1980-1990s dare care center allegations, where hundreds of children across the country accused their attendants of wild sexual abuse.
What is the general attitude regarding false memories?
False memories are possible, especially when the right person is put into the right circumstances.
What cause the NICHD to revise their interviewing techniques of children?
The Day Care Center allegations and the discussion of false memories in children.
True or false: Anatomically correct dolls are valuable because they allow children to identify abuse without having to say it out loud.
False! Use of anatomically correct dolls often uses suggestive questioning and prompts children to identify a body part to please the interviewer.
At what ages do children struggle to distinguish between reality and fantasy?
5 years old and under
What is the general attitude of the academic community regarding recovered memories?
There is no research that supports the idea of "repressing" unwanted memories; more likely, recovered memories were once forgotten or misconstrued during childhood.
Which researcher pioneered studies exploring false memory creation?
Elizabeth Loftus
What does "building rapport" mean?
Having positive experiences with a child to build trust and friendship; done before NICHD interviews to help make the child comfortable talking with the interviewer.
What is hearsay and how is it used with children testimonies?
Hearsay is when words someone else said outside of court are used as testimony (i.e. "I heard Jim say that he committed the crime"). Normally it is not accepted, but it is when a child has been a victim of a crime, especially abuse.
Define storage.
When a memory is held in long term memory, either retrieved later or eventually forgotten.
True or false: Real recovered memories aren't remembered over time, but rather all at once.
True.
What kinds of people are susceptible to false memories?
People who are easily suggestible and who easily yield to authority figures.
Closed ended questions are typically discouraged in child abuse interviews, but are allowed in certain situations. What situation might that be?
AFTER the child has disclosed specific information on their own without being prompted.
How do juries feel about adults testifying on behalf of a child?
Adult testimonies are very favorable to juries.
At what age do children begin forming concrete memories?
Ages 3 and up
True or false: fake recovered memories typically begin as vague feelings and images that turn into more concrete memories.
True.
In the "Lost in a Mall" experiment, how many people developed a false memory of being lost in a mall when they were a child?
Around 25%
True or false: Child abuse interviews should be recorded to have an objective record of it.
True.
True or False: Because adolescents have a more developed memory, they are more believed by juries over young children.
False! Younger children are seen as more innocent and less likely to lie despite having less reliable memories.
Define retrieval.
What conclusion can be drawn from a recovered memory of very unusual forms of abuse, such as cult involvement and bizarre actions or locations?
It is most likely a false memory.
What techniques are often used by therapists on clients who develop false memories?
Hypnosis and free association.
What kind of boundaries are set before a child abuse interview takes place?
1. "I don't know" is an acceptable answer
2. The interviewer explains that they were not there, so they don't have the "right answer" for what happened