DEVELOPMENTAL ISSUES IN JUDGING THE CREDIBILITY OF CHILDRENS TESTIMONY

Examined age differences in the skills underlying three criteria for j udging the credibility of children's testimony: spontaneity, consisten cy, and provision of details. Three-, 5-, and 7-year-old children were interviewed about a routine physical examination immediately followin g the examination and at intervals of 3 or 6 weeks. Results indicated that younger children remembered less information spontaneously and we re less consistent and provided fewer details of their experiences tha n older children. However, no age differences were found for accuracy of spontaneously remembered information. In contrast, accuracy of youn ger children in response to specific questions was less than that of o lder children, and only 7-year-olds responded correctly at levels sign ificantly above chance. Children who were more consistent in rememberi ng the same information at different times were also more accurate in their responses.