The catechism effect: Child testimonies during a 17th-century witch panic as related to educational achievement

Testimonies from 488 children given to the priests of the parish of Rattvik during a preliminary investigation of a Swedish witch panic in 1670-71 are examined in relation to records from parish catechetical meetings held in 1671. The result implies that children who knew and understood at least par ts of Luther's catechism were less liable to have falsely alleged that they had been kidnapped by female satanists during the witch panic of the previ ous year. It is suggested that these effects were caused by differences in cognitive, social, and emotional resources among these children as compared to those who were unable to learn and understand any parts of Luther's cat echism.