Mental reinstatement of context with child witnesses: does it matter whether context is reinstated ‘out loud’?

Abstract

In this study we examined the impact of two types of mental reinstatement of context instructions in facilitating children's recall of a staged event across two stages of development. Specifically, a 2 × 3 factorial design was utilised incorporating two age groups (6- and 12-year-olds) and three interview conditions (standard recall, mental reinstatement where the child was instructed to reinstate the context ‘out loud’, and mental reinstatement without the explicit ‘out loud’ instruction). Overall, mental reinstatement instruction led to more correct and fewer incorrect responses than the standard recall instruction. The effect of mental reinstatement was similar across the age groups and irrespective of whether the child was asked to reinstate ‘out loud’. Beneficial effects of the technique, however, were only evident for cued-recall questions as opposed to free-narrative responses. The implications of these findings and directions for future research are discussed.     

社区民警“就地访谈”工作法探析

顺应公安民警走访联系群众工作常态化、制度化的要求,适应社区警务模式的需要,创设社区民警"就地访谈"工作法很有必要。"就地访谈"是指社区民警在当班巡逻的过程中,基于自主判断,任意选择一个对象,在表明身份和说明意图后就地与其交谈,以期获取警方所需信息的过程。"就地访谈"工作法有自己的特色,区别于现场访问、入户访谈(调查)以及盘查。社区民警进行"就地访谈"要掌握一定的要领,对"就地访谈"获取的信息也要进行科学的加工处理和存储,并实现信息共享。     

新闻隐性采访的道德思考

新闻的隐性采访是一类有争议的新闻现象。对此类现象的研究主要涉及对隐性采访的定义与评价及其道德层面的思考。     

The Unopposed Intervention

正The U.S.airstrikes against ISIS in Iraq will not end the ongoing turmoilFor the past several months,in the face of the brutality launched by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria(ISIS)in northern Iraq,which was previously known as the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant,the"world police"appeared to have been taken off guard.Despite the surprising setback,it is not too late to prevent more humanitarian crises in the war-torn country.     

Aiming higher,Going Larger

正The shanghai Cooperation organization seeks new development opportunitiesat its annual summitIn the last 13 years,the Shanghai Cooperation Organization(SCO)has been playing a constructive role in maintaining security and stability in Central Asia as well as promoting the economic development of its member states.From this year on,the SCO is expected to open its doors to new member     

Are You Ready for the Pre-interview？

正EXCITED about your first interview with a big Chinese manufacturer?Trying on outf its in the mirror?Are you imagining yourself suavely conversing with high-level managers,delighting them with your sharp wit?Time to wake up!The bad news is that overconfidence can torpedo your chances in an upcoming job     

Securing reliable information in investigative interviews: coercive and noncoercive strategies preceding turning points

ABSTRACT

Investigative interviewers apply a range of physical, cognitive, social or legalistic strategies to secure information from suspects. The perceived effectiveness of coercive and noncoercive strategies on turning points was examined by interviewing 34 practitioners and 30 high value detainees in East Asian and Western jurisdictions. Each recounted an interview with an initially uncooperative detainee who became cooperative, or an initially cooperative detainee who became resistant or silent. Analyses of interview narratives identified perceived turning points in the practitioner-suspect relationship associated with clear outcomes. Independent of jurisdiction, 56% of the noncoercive strategies were associated with cooperation, yielding reliable information in 49.4% and true admissions in 20.0% of the cases. In contrast, coercive strategies were perceived as more ineffective (58.9%) than effective (14.6%) in securing information. Physical coercion, intimidation and deception were most frequently acknowledged to yield false information. These findings suggested prioritisation of noncoercive social and physical interview strategies and international consensus on best practices.     

Attachment Models in Incarcerated Sex Offenders: A Preliminary Italian Study Using the Adult Attachment Interview

A group of sex offenders (clinical group: n = 19) was compared to a nonclinical sample matched by age, years of education, and gender (control group A: n = 19) to verify a higher incidence of insecure attachment models among sex offenders. In addition, we tested whether sex offenders were characterized by specific childhood experiences, compared to control adults (control group B: n = 19) with the same secure/insecure attachment classification. Results showed significant differences between offenders and control adults on both the AAI continuous score and the distribution of the two-way attachment classifications. Furthermore, sex offenders reported more intense experiences of rejection by the father figure and abuse in the family context during early childhood compared to not offenders subjects with the same attachment classification.     

When Does Quality Count?: Perceptions of Hearsay Testimony About Child Sexual Abuse Interviews

This study assessed how the quality of a sexual abuse investigative interview with a child and the age of the child influence jurors reactions to either the original interview with the child or to testimony by an adult hearsay witness (the interviewer). Participants (N = 360) were randomly assigned to 1 of 12 conditions in a 2 (type of testimony:hearsay testimony vs. child interview) × (interview quality: poor, typical, or good) × (age of the child: 4 years old vs. 10 years old) factorial design. Participants reached individual verdicts, answered a series of questions, and then deliberated in a group with five other participants. As predicted, jurors in the child interview conditions were more likely to find the defendant guilty if they read the good interview than if they read either the poor or the typical interview, but in the hearsay conditions verdicts did not significantly differ by interview quality. These findings suggest that there is a significant loss of information when the testimony of a hearsay witness is used in place of the actual interview with the child, and call into question the appropriateness of admitting hearsay testimony by interviewers.