ANATOMICALLY-NEUTRAL DOLLS - THEIR EFFECTS ON THE MEMORY AND SUGGESTIBILITY OF 4 TO 6-YEAR-OLD EYEWITNESSES

The purpose of this investigation was to compare the amount and accura cy of details provided in the eyewitness accounts of preschool-aged ch ildren interviewed exclusively with a verbal interview against those i nterviewed with anatomically-neutral dolls in addition to a verbal int erview. Forty-four children, aged 4 to 6 years, were paired up and ass igned as participants or observers for an event they engaged in with a confederate. Children's memory was assessed afterwards by (a) The Ste p-Wise Interview (Yuille, Hunter, Joffe, & Zapamiuk, 1993); (b) the St ep-Wise Interview and big dolls; or (c) The Step-Wise Interview and sm all, detailed dolls and props. Three leading questions were incorporat ed into the interviews. Results indicated no main effect of interview type on the overall amount or accuracy of the children's accounts. No main effects for interview type or participant versus observer conditi on were observed for the leading questions. Relative to 4-year-olds, 5 -year-olds recalled a greater number of overall details and were more accurate in their accounts with both types of dolls. Females were more accurate than males in their accounts with the small detailed toys an d props. Implications for the use of anatomically-neutral dolls in chi ld sexual abuse investigations are discussed. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsev ier Science Ltd