I HARDLY CRIED WHEN I GOT MY SHOT - INFLUENCING CHILDRENS REPORTS ABOUT A VISIT TO THEIR PEDIATRICIAN

We examined, in 2 phases, the influence of postevent suggestions on ch ildren's reports of their visits to a pediatrician. Phase 1 examined t he effect of giving one of 3 types of feedback to 5-year-old children immediately following their Diphtheria immediately following their Dip htheria Pertussis Tetanus (DPT) inoculation. Children were given pain- affirming feedback (the shot hurt), pain-denying feedback (the shot di d not hurt), or neutral feedback (the shot is over). 1 week later, the y did not differ in their reports concerning how much the shot hurt or how much they cried. In Phase 2, the same children were visited appro ximately 1 year after their inoculation. During 3 separate visits, the y were either given additional pain-denying or neutral feedback. They were also given misleading or nonmisleading information about the acti ons of the pediatrician and the assitant. Children given pain-denying feedback reported that they cried less and that the shot hurt less tha n did children given neutral feedback. Those who were given misleading information about the actions of the assistant and the pediatrician m ade more false allegations about their actions than did children who w ere not given this information. These results challenge the view that suggestibility effects are confined to peripheral, nonaction events; i n this study children's reports about salient actions involving their own bodies in stressful conditions were influenced.