Multiple Interviews Help Victims Recall Details, Study Suggests

Child Abuse Interview Guidelines: Multiple Interviews Help Victims Recall Details, Study Suggests

ScienceDaily (Jan. 10, 2011) — Do the guidelines on interviewing alleged victims of child abuse need to be re-thought? New research from the University of Abertay Dundee has found evidence that multiple interviews can actually help victims recall greater details about their abuse.

Currently the guidelines for the UK and Scotland recommend investigators avoid repeated interviews wherever possible, arguing that this risks inconsistent evidence and 'suggestability' -- the problem of an interviewer suggesting answers by not asking open-ended questions with multiple possible answers.

However, research by Dr David La Rooy and colleagues has found that when conducted properly, multiple interviews using open-ended questions can deliver stronger evidence to convict, and actually help alleged victims recall greater details about their experiences of abuse.

"When interviewers follow internationally recognised best-practice guidelines on using open questions and free-memory recall, more complete accounts of their abuse can be pieced together through conducting multiple interviews," Dr La Rooy said.

"It's commonly assumed that conducting more than one interview damages the quality of evidence, but our research has found that this isn't necessarily the case.

"When properly conducted, more than one interview helps victims' memories develop, revealing far greater detail than just one interview ever can." FULL STORY

Journal Reference:
La Rooy et al. Do we need to rethink guidance on repeated interviews? Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, Volume 16, Issue 4, November 2010, Pages 373-392

I wish it wasn't politically incorrect to put a swastika on stories, because this deserves one.  My memory harkens back to the equally fascist "Recovered Memories" fad from years ago.