WHEN LAWYERS QUESTION CHILDREN - IS JUSTICE SERVED

This study assessed the impact of some complex question forms frequent ly used by attorneys who examine and cross-examine witnesses in the co urtroom. Fifteen males and 15 females from each of four student popula tions (kindergarten, fourth grade, ninth grade, and college) viewed a videotaped incident and then responded to questions about the incident . Half the questions were asked in ''lawyerese'' (i.e., using complex question forms); the remaining half asked for the same information usi ng simply phrased question forms of the same length. Lawyerese confuse d children, adolescents, and young adults alike. Questions that includ ed multiple parts with mutually exclusive responses were the most diff icult to answer; those that included negatives, double negatives, or d ifficult vocabulary also posed significant problems. Results suggest t hat complex question forms impede truth-seeking and should be prohibit ed in court.