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A review of the impact of different types of leading interview questions on child and adult witnesses with intellectual disabilities
journal contribution
posted on 2013-01-01, 00:00 authored by Peter Bowles, Stefanie SharmanStefanie SharmanChildren and adults with intellectual disabilities have traditionally been considered poor witnesses because they are easily misled and produce less accurate information in interviews when compared with individuals without intellectual disabilities. However, witnesses’ levels of accuracy depend on the types of questions that they are asked, such as whether they are open or closed and whether they contain misleading information. In the current systematic review, we examined the literature investigating the different types of misleading questions commonly used in interviews, and their influence on the memories of adults and children with and without an intellectual disability. Thirteen articles that met inclusion criteria were reviewed. It was found that, compared with other question types, open and closed questions that presumed certain information to be true elicited the greatest number of errors in children and adults with intellectual disabilities compared with other question types. These findings reinforce the notion that the onus is on interviewers – particularly when interviewing vulnerable witnesses – to avoid leading questions that presume information that may not be true.
History
Journal
Psychiatry, psychology and lawVolume
21Issue
2Pagination
205 - 217Publisher
RoutledgeLocation
Oxford, EnglandPublisher DOI
ISSN
1321-8719Language
engPublication classification
C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journalCopyright notice
2013, Taylor & FrancisUsage metrics
Keywords
Eyewitness testimonyIntellectual disabilityLeading questionsSocial SciencesScience & TechnologyLife Sciences & BiomedicineCriminology & PenologyLawPsychiatryPsychology, MultidisciplinaryGovernment & LawPsychologyINTERROGATIVE SUGGESTIBILITYCOGNITIVE INTERVIEWEYEWITNESS MEMORYPOLICE OFFICERSMISINFORMATIONRECALLMILDCONFIDENCETESTIMONYLANGUAGELaw
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