Effects of Guiding Ground Rules and Individual Differences on the Accuracy of Children’s Free Recall and Suggestibility

Abstract

ABSTRACT This research examines how the presence or absence of ground rules and children’s temperamental tendencies affect children’s free recall accuracy and suggestibility. Participating children showed richer free recall with open-ended questions and displayed greater resistance to suggestive questions when provided ground rules during the interview. In addition, children’s recall accuracy varied based on their prosocial orientation: the presence or absence of ground rules influenced memory accuracy more in children with a low prosocial orientation than in those with a high prosocial orientation. These results demonstrate the importance of ground rules for obtaining reliable statements from children during investigative interviews. Findings further suggest that children can provide more detailed information when temperamental characteristics (e.g. prosocial tendencies) are considered.