Interviewers face a dilemma when questioning children in a forensic context--an inherent mismatch between the needs of the legal system and the capabilities of young children. This is especially problematic when legal decisions with potentially serious consequences depend on the results of the interview, such as in cases involving eyewitness memory, divorce, and allegations of abuse and neglect. Without accommodations to a child's developmental level, interviews can result in false reports, miscommunication, and misinterpretation, despite an interviewer's best intentions....
Interviewers face a dilemma when questioning children in a forensic context--an inherent mismatch between the needs of the legal system and the capabi...