Assessing the Truthfulness of Witness Statements Made by Children (Aged 7--8, 10--11, and 13--14) Employing Scales Derived from Johnson and Raye's Model of Reality Monitoring

Abstract

The goal of this study was to determine whether children's true and false witness statements could be differentiated using the model of reality monitoring. The effects of age and verbal ability on scales based on the model were also investigated. Children (N = 68) from three different age-groups (7--8, 10--11, and 13--14 years) made both a true and a false statement concerning a mildly traumatic event. The statements were analysed using the Revised Memory Characteristics Questionnaire. The vocabulary sub-scale of the WISC-R was also administered. True statements were found to contain more sensory information and expressions of time, and less affective information. Overall, 64% of the statements were correctly classified on the basis of the scales. Older children received higher scores on most of the reality monitoring scales compared to the youngest children regardless of the truthfulness of their statements. Furthermore, the verbal ability of the children was positively associated with scores on several of the scales. The classification accuracy suggests that the model should not be applied to individual cases of child testimony. Although the final decision concerning the usefulness of the scales should be based on ecologically valid field studies.