Remembering and reporting by children: The influence of cues and props

Until recently nonverbal props received little experimental attention in sp ite of the wide use of props such as toys and drawing in child clinical con texts. This article reviews research investigating the effectiveness of pro ps as means of facilitating children's recall and reporting of past events. In the first section, developmental and theoretical considerations influen cing effectiveness of various kinds of props as aids to the retrieval and c ommunication of information are outlined. Thereafter, findings of empirical research are reviewed for real props from the event, toys including dolls, drawing, context reinstatement, and photographs. Research findings suggest that a range of factors influence the extent to which props facilitate chi ldren's reports of past events including specificity of the information pro vided by the prop, the way the prop is presented during the interview, dela y between the event and interview and, critical to these factors, the age o f the child. Areas requiring future theoretical and research attention are identified. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science Ltd.