TY - JOUR
T1 - The effect of socially encountered misinformation and a delay on children's eyewitness testimony
AU - Akehurst, Lucy
AU - Burden, N.
AU - Buckle, J.
PY - 2009/3
Y1 - 2009/3
N2 - This study investigated the impact of different types of post-event misinformation and a 3-month delay on children's suggestibility. Children aged 9-11 years old were interviewed about a witnessed event, on three occasions: immediately after witnessing the event (Baseline), after exposure to misinformation (Time 1) and after a 3-month delay (Time 2). With regard to misinformation, the children were allocated to one of three conditions: exposure to a biased narrative, exposure to a biased confederate, and no exposure to misleading information. Suggestibility was significantly higher when misinformation was introduced socially, by a confederate, than when it was introduced via a written narrative. Suggestibility scores, however, for all the children were significantly lower after a 3-month delay, although those who had been exposed to misinformation were still more suggestible than those in the control group.
AB - This study investigated the impact of different types of post-event misinformation and a 3-month delay on children's suggestibility. Children aged 9-11 years old were interviewed about a witnessed event, on three occasions: immediately after witnessing the event (Baseline), after exposure to misinformation (Time 1) and after a 3-month delay (Time 2). With regard to misinformation, the children were allocated to one of three conditions: exposure to a biased narrative, exposure to a biased confederate, and no exposure to misleading information. Suggestibility was significantly higher when misinformation was introduced socially, by a confederate, than when it was introduced via a written narrative. Suggestibility scores, however, for all the children were significantly lower after a 3-month delay, although those who had been exposed to misinformation were still more suggestible than those in the control group.
U2 - 10.1080/13218710802620406
DO - 10.1080/13218710802620406
M3 - Article
SN - 1321-8719
VL - 16
SP - S125-S136
JO - Psychiatry, Psychology and Law
JF - Psychiatry, Psychology and Law
IS - S1
ER -