PSC 153 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Dream Interpretation, Wee Care Nursery School Abuse Trial
Document Summary
Psc 153 lecture 11 children testimony and memory of abuse. Criminal court procedures (federal) children can be subpoenaed to testify like anybody else, are assumed to be competent. Jury instructions about child testimony age 10 or younger, should consider age, and developmental stage, but not dismiss testimony just because it comes from a child. Child sexual abuse is one of the most heinous crimes. Disturbingly underreported children might be too young to talk, children might not understand it is wrong (especially if abuser is a family member or caregiver), children might be afraid of retaliation. Prevalence is difficult to estimate 7-16% among boys, 18-26% among girls. Examine the validity of unusual claims of abuse. Development of more effective technique to interview potential victims. Under age of 5, children have difficulty distinguishing imagined from real events. Ability to encode, store, and retrieve information is not fully developed.
