Journal Article

The Development of Communicative and Narrative Skills Among Preschoolers: Lessons From Forensic Interviews About Child Abuse

Hershkowitz, Irit, Orbach, Yael, Lamb, Michael E., Horowitz, Dvora, Katz, Carmit

2012

Overview

This study examined age differences in 299 preschoolers' responses to investigative interviewers' questions exploring the suspected occurrence of child abuse. Analyses focused on the children's tendencies to respond (a) at all, (b) appropriately to the issue raised by the investigator, and (c) informatively, providing previously undisclosed information. Linear developmental trends characterized all types of responding. When the types of prompts were considered, 3-to 4-year-olds responded slightly more informatively to specific (directive) recall prompts than to open-ended prompts whereas children aged 5 and older were more responsive to open-ended recall prompts. The findings suggest that even 3-year-olds can provide information about experienced events when recall processes are activated, although the ability to provide narrative responses to openended recall prompts only becomes reliable later in development.

• Publisher: Blackwell Publishing Ltd,Wiley-Blackwell,Oxford University Press
• Subject: Age difference / Age Differences / Age groups / Biological and medical sciences / Child / Child Abuse / Child abuse & neglect / Child Abuse, Sexual - legislation & jurisprudence / Child Abuse, Sexual - psychology / Child Development / Child molestation / Child, Preschool / Children / Cognitive Ability / Communication / Communication Skills / Crime / Cues / Developmental psychology / EMPIRICAL ARTICLES / Female / Humans / Interview, Psychological / Interviewers / Interviews / Language Development / Male / Medical sciences / Memory / Memory recall / Mental Recall / Narration / Narratives / Older children / Perception / Preschool Children / Preschoolers / Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry / Psychopathology. Psychiatry / Recall / Recall (Psychology) / Reproducibility of Results / Responses / Self Disclosure / Skills / Suggestion / Truth Disclosure / Victimology