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Developmental differences in memory, recall, and suggestibility two years later: Should young children be considered "aye" witnesses?

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Date Issued:
1993
Summary:
Kindergartners, grade 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 children, and adult college students participated in a two-year longitudinal study of eyewitness memory, recall, and suggestibility with one- and two-year assessment periods additionally, kindergartners and adults participated in a short-term repeated trials free recall study. Delays varied from a few minutes (in the short-term repeated free recall trial) to two years in the longitudinal study. Subjects were asked free-recall (open ended), unbiased cued recall, and specifically suggestive (leading) questions about the event they had observed as well as their involvement in the experiment at the initial phase one or two years before. Longer delays resulted in lower levels of correct free recall which varied positively with age. Levels of incorrect free recall were at floor for all trials. With longer delays, unbiased cued-recall questions resulted in higher levels of incorrect responses. Differential levels of correct free recall were found for different categories of items, with the central (most legally important) items being recalled correctly by all age groups more often than the less central items. Kindergarten and second grade children were the most influenced by leading questions and were found to be most influenced by the type question (correctly or incorrectly suggestive) posed first. Responses by kindergartners to later questions about the same items were influenced by the leading nature of the initial question with kindergarten and second grade children responding incorrectly to the follow-up questions based upon their answers to the initial questions. The order of presentation effect was enhanced for questions suggesting incorrect responses. The longer delays diminished the age effects of leading questions between the older children and adults. Examination of short-term delay repeated recall trials disclosed that adults produced higher percentages of correct free recall with each subsequent trial, while the kindergarten children did not. Collapsed across grade, subjects who increased their levels of correct free recall following their unbiased cued-recall trial generally remained at that higher level for the remaining free-recall trials. Small hypermnesia effects were found for certain treatment groups. Results are discussed in terms of information processing and fuzzy-trace theories.
Title: Developmental differences in memory, recall, and suggestibility two years later: Should young children be considered "aye" witnesses?.
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Name(s): Cassel, William Steven
Florida Atlantic University, Degree Grantor
Charles E. Schmidt College of Science
Department of Psychology
Type of Resource: text
Genre: Electronic Thesis Or Dissertation
Issuance: monographic
Date Issued: 1993
Publisher: Florida Atlantic University
Place of Publication: Boca Raton, Fla.
Physical Form: application/pdf
Extent: 361 p.
Language(s): English
Summary: Kindergartners, grade 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 children, and adult college students participated in a two-year longitudinal study of eyewitness memory, recall, and suggestibility with one- and two-year assessment periods additionally, kindergartners and adults participated in a short-term repeated trials free recall study. Delays varied from a few minutes (in the short-term repeated free recall trial) to two years in the longitudinal study. Subjects were asked free-recall (open ended), unbiased cued recall, and specifically suggestive (leading) questions about the event they had observed as well as their involvement in the experiment at the initial phase one or two years before. Longer delays resulted in lower levels of correct free recall which varied positively with age. Levels of incorrect free recall were at floor for all trials. With longer delays, unbiased cued-recall questions resulted in higher levels of incorrect responses. Differential levels of correct free recall were found for different categories of items, with the central (most legally important) items being recalled correctly by all age groups more often than the less central items. Kindergarten and second grade children were the most influenced by leading questions and were found to be most influenced by the type question (correctly or incorrectly suggestive) posed first. Responses by kindergartners to later questions about the same items were influenced by the leading nature of the initial question with kindergarten and second grade children responding incorrectly to the follow-up questions based upon their answers to the initial questions. The order of presentation effect was enhanced for questions suggesting incorrect responses. The longer delays diminished the age effects of leading questions between the older children and adults. Examination of short-term delay repeated recall trials disclosed that adults produced higher percentages of correct free recall with each subsequent trial, while the kindergarten children did not. Collapsed across grade, subjects who increased their levels of correct free recall following their unbiased cued-recall trial generally remained at that higher level for the remaining free-recall trials. Small hypermnesia effects were found for certain treatment groups. Results are discussed in terms of information processing and fuzzy-trace theories.
Identifier: 12350 (digitool), FADT12350 (IID), fau:9252 (fedora)
Collection: FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection
Note(s): Adviser: David F. Bjorklund.
Thesis (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 1993.
Subject(s): Law
Psychology, Developmental
Held by: Florida Atlantic University Libraries
Persistent Link to This Record: http://purl.flvc.org/fcla/dt/12350
Sublocation: Digital Library
Use and Reproduction: Copyright © is held by the author, with permission granted to Florida Atlantic University to digitize, archive and distribute this item for non-profit research and educational purposes. Any reuse of this item in excess of fair use or other copyright exemptions requires permission of the copyright holder.
Use and Reproduction: http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/
Host Institution: FAU
Is Part of Series: FAU Digital Library Collections.