Question 1

Suggestive questions can best be described as _____ leading questions _____.

Accepted Answer

Suggestive questions are those that include information not volunteered by the child, potentially influencing the child's response by suggesting what the answer should be.

Question 2

Research exploring the effect of repetitive questioning on preschool-aged children's responses found that:

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that repetitive questioning, especially when it includes suggestive or leading questions, can cause children to change their answers over time, often incorporating inaccuracies or falsehoods that were suggested in the questions. This phenomenon is particularly notable in preschool-aged children due to their developmental stage and susceptibility to suggestion.

Question 3

Hearsay testimony is generally _____ in court but most states do allow an exception to the hearsay rule for _____ victims.

Accepted Answer

Hearsay testimony is typically not allowed in court because it is considered unreliable, but there are exceptions to this rule, particularly for child victims, to protect their welfare and ensure that their testimony can be heard in a manner that considers their vulnerability.

Question 4

Two components of the presumed child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome (CSAAS) are the denial of abuse and recantation of abuse. Researchers who analyzed actual interviews with sexually abused children found that, in reality, the denial and recantation of abuse:

Accepted Answer

Research has shown that denial and recantation of abuse are actually unusual behaviors among sexually abused children, contrary to what the CSAAS might suggest.

Question 5

Bearing witness to what someone else said outside of court is called:

Accepted Answer

Hearsay testimony refers to the act of reporting outside of court what someone else said, which is generally not admissible as evidence due to its lack of direct observation or experience.

Question 6

It is important to avoid bias when interviewing a possible victim or witness. This is particularly true with children. One technique that may be used to avoid bias when interviewing children is the National Institute of Child Health and Development (NICHD) Investigative Interview Protocol. The NICHD Protocol guides interviewers towards all of the following, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

The NICHD Protocol emphasizes avoiding biased or suggestive questions, putting the child at ease, and using open-ended questions to elicit more detailed responses. It discourages the use of yes-no questions, which can limit the information gathered and may lead to biased responses.

Question 7

When NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol procedures are followed, interviews with children are _____ recorded on video.

Accepted Answer

When NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol procedures are followed, interviews with children are almost always recorded on video to ensure accuracy and transparency in the documentation of the interview.

Question 8

Liam is a 4-year-old who is being questioned by his mom about his physical contact with a guest visitor to Liam's day care center. Even though the visitor never touched Liam, the mother keeps asking which part of Liam's body the visitor touched first. Liam is likely to:

Accepted Answer

Repeated suggestive questioning can lead children, especially young ones like Liam, to provide false information or what they believe the questioner wants to hear, even if it means making up events that never occurred.

Question 9

There have been studies on the use of anatomically detailed dolls as props when questioning children who are suspected of having been victims of sexual abuse. Overall, the research:

Accepted Answer

The research on the use of anatomically detailed dolls in questioning children about potential sexual abuse is inconclusive. Studies have not definitively proven whether these dolls lead to more accurate disclosures, increase false allegations, or have a significant impact on the number of allegations made.

Question 10

Delia is a prosecutor working on a case where allegations of child sexual abuse perpetrated by a day care center worker have been made. The child's parents are very concerned and want Delia to investigate the allegations. When it comes to the use of child interviewing props, Delia's best course of action is to use anatomically detailed _____. Moreover, these props should be used _____.

Accepted Answer

Anatomically detailed body diagrams are recommended to be used only after a child has made a disclosure of abuse to avoid leading or suggestive questioning.

Question 11

When exposed to sexual abuse testimony given by children at trial, it appears that jurors are _____ to believe young children compared to adolescents.

Accepted Answer

Jurors are generally more likely to believe young children compared to adolescents when exposed to sexual abuse testimony at trial, due to perceptions of innocence and vulnerability associated with younger children.

Question 12

"Tell me everything that happened" is an example of an open-ended request, which is considered a(n) _____ prompt in the NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol.

Accepted Answer

Open-ended requests are considered non-coercive prompts in the NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol because they encourage free narrative responses without leading or suggesting specific answers, allowing the interviewee to provide information in their own words and at their own pace.

Question 13

According to the text, children who recant previous allegations of sexual abuse are likely to have been abused by a:

Accepted Answer

Children who recant previous allegations of sexual abuse are more likely to have been abused by a parental figure. This is because the close relationship and dependency on the abuser can lead to pressure or manipulation, causing the child to retract their statement.

Question 14

When reviewing sexual abuse testimony given by children at trial, it appears that jurors _____ the testimony of children in sexual abuse cases.

Accepted Answer

Jurors tend to believe the testimony of children in sexual abuse cases, often due to the sensitive nature of the allegations and the vulnerability of children.

Question 15

According to the text, the use of anatomically detailed dolls when interviewing children under the age of 6 is likely to _____ the number of false allegations of sexual abuse.

Accepted Answer

The use of anatomically detailed dolls in interviews with children under the age of 6 has been shown to potentially increase the number of false allegations of sexual abuse due to suggestive questioning and the interpretative nature of children's interactions with the dolls.

Question 16

Research has demonstrated that some techniques used in interviewing children in abuse cases are especially helpful. These techniques include all of the following, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

Asking the same question more than once can lead to confusion or the implication that the previous answer was incorrect, potentially influencing the child's responses. Simplified instructions, taking an oath to tell the truth, and an explicit statement that the interviewer does not know what happened are all techniques that help create a supportive environment for the child to share their experiences accurately.

Question 17

What is the best description of the NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol?

Accepted Answer

The NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol is specifically designed to minimize the influence of biased questioning and to encourage children to provide accurate and truthful responses during interviews, particularly in sensitive cases such as allegations of abuse. This approach emphasizes open-ended questions and a supportive, non-leading interview environment.

Question 18

Suggestive questioning of children is most likely to _____, and can lead to _____ prompted by repetitive questions.

Accepted Answer

Suggestive questioning, especially when repetitive, can lead to children providing false allegations of abuse, often because they are influenced by the nature of the questions or the expectations of the interviewer.

Question 19

According to the text, children who supposedly suffer from child sexual abuse accommodation syndrome (CSAAS) are likely to show behavioral symptoms that could also be evident in children misled into admitting such abuse. The following symptoms are believed to be part of the CSAAS syndrome, EXCEPT:

Accepted Answer

CSAAS includes symptoms such as delayed disclosure, denial of abuse, and recantation of allegations, but it does not specifically include mentioning the abuse only to peers as a symptom.

Question 20

It is especially important to record the _____ with the child because _____.

Accepted Answer

The first interview is crucial because it may contain the clearest indicators of the child's truthfulness, as the child's initial reactions and statements are often considered the most genuine.

Quiz 6: Child Sexual Abuse: Interviewing Children and the Recovered Memories of Adults

Suggestive questions can best be described as _ leading questions _.