RT Article
T1 Imprecision About Body Mechanics When Child Witnesses Are Questioned About Sexual Abuse
JF Journal of interpersonal violence
VO 37
IS 13/14
A1 Sullivan, Colleen
A2 George, Suzanne St.
A2 Stolzenberg, Stacia N.
A2 Williams, Shanna
A2 Lyon, Thomas D.
LA English
YR 2022
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1884209300
AB In child sexual abuse cases, a central part of the child?s testimony is their description of the abuse episode. However, it is often difficult for children to describe the body mechanics of abuse, and miscommunications are likely to occur. In the present study, we examined questions about the mechanics of abuse in trial transcripts (N?=?63) to identify sources of miscommunication (N?=?130) between attorneys and children (5?12?years old, M age at trial = 9.44, SD?=?1.97). We found that both attorneys and children used imprecise language, which led to miscommunication. Specifically, the imprecise use of sexual terminology and the word ?touch,? polarity items, broad open-ended questions, anaphora and elliptical questions, and ?how? questions led to imprecision in attorneys? questions. Imprecise attorney questions often elicited underinformative answers from children, including misinterpretations of the grain size (i.e., level of detail) requested. In response to these underinformative answers, attorneys at times asked highly focused and leading questions, which led to further miscommunications. Implications and recommendations for future research on how best to elicit details about the mechanics of abuse from children are discussed.
K1 Child Sexual Abuse
K1 abuse descriptions
K1 child interviewing
K1 children’s testimonies
K1 miscommunications
DO 10.1177/0886260521997941