PSYC 3020 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: False Memory Syndrome, Wilfrid Laurier University, Eyewitness Memory
22 Sep 2017
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Document Summary
Salem witch trials in 1692 children told falsehoods and claimed to have witnessed the defendants perform supernatural feats o several years later many children recanted their testimonies. Increasing number of reported sexual and physical abuse cases where a child was a victim or a witness. Recall for events: are children able to recall events accurately, the martensville babysitting case (see box 6. 1) o may suggest that children do not make very reliable witnesses, even about events they supposedly experienced. Using recall may elicit brief responses, but the responses are more likely to be accurate. Social compliance or social pressure: changes to the cognitive system. Interviewers need to balance asking direct questions with the risk of obtaining false information: many researchers recommend relying on free recall as much as possible. Assumption underlying use of the dolls is that children may have difficulty verbalizing what occurred. Other techniques for interviewing children: criterion-based content analysis.
