Memories are the ultimate foundation of testimony in legal settings ranging from criminal trials to divorce mediations and custody hearings. Yet there is mounting evidence of the various ways in which they may be susceptible to distortion. This work offers an overview of what we now understand about children's and adults' eyewitness capabilities - and of the important practical and theoretical implications of this new understanding. The authors, leading clinicians and behavioural scientists with diverse training experiences and points of view, provide an insight into the social, cognitive, developmental and legal factors that affect the accuracy and quality of information obtained in forensic interviews.

Table of Contents:

Contents: Preface. Part I: General Principles and Basic Processes.H.L. Roediger, III, D.A. Gallo, Processes Affecting Accuracy and Distortion in Memory: An Overview. P.A. Ornstein, C.A. Haden, The Development of Memory: Toward an Understanding of Children's Testimony. I.E. Hyman, Jr., E.F. Loftus, False Childhood Memories and Eyewitness Memory Errors. K.J. Saywitz, T.D. Lyon, Coming to Grips With Children's Suggestibility. J.C. Brigham, Face Identification: Basic Processes and Developmental Changes. Part II: Stress, Trauma, and Individual Differences.E. Engelberg, S-Å. Christianson, Stress, Trauma, and Memory. K. Pezdek, J. Taylor, Memory for Traumatic Events in Children and Adults. C.J. Dalenberg, K.Z. Hyland, C.A. Cuevas, Sources of Fantastic Elements in Allegations of Abuse by Adults and Children. M.L. Eisen, E. Winograd, J. Qin, Individual Differences in Adults' Suggestibility and Memory Performance. M-E. Pipe, K. Salmon, What Children Bring to the Interview Context: Individual Differences in Children's Event Reports. Part III: Adults in the Forensic Interview Context.R.P. Fisher, K.H. Brennan, M.R. McCauley, The Cognitive Interview Method to Enhance Eyewitness Recall. S.J. Lynn, J. Neuschatz, R. Fite, Hypnosis and Memory: Implications for the Courtroom and Psychotherapy. K.K. Shobe, J.F. Kihlstrom, Interrogative Suggestibility and "Memory Work." Part IV: Children in the Forensic Interview Context.R. Fivush, C. Peterson, A. Schwarzmueller, Questions and Answers: The Credibility of Child Witnesses in the Context of Specific Questioning Techniques. D.A. Poole, D.S. Lindsay, Children's Suggestibility in the Forensic Context. M.D. Everson, B.W. Boat, The Utility of Anatomical Dolls and Drawings in Child Forensic Interviews. K.J. Sternberg, M.E. Lamb, P.W. Esplin, Y. Orbach, I. Hershkowitz, Using a Structured Interview Protocol to Improve the Quality of Investigative Interviews. S.L. Davis, B.L. Bottoms, The Effects of Social Support on the Accuracy of Children's Reports: Implications for the Forensic Interview.