9422177 Bjorklund The purpose of this study is to investigate age differences in eyewitness memory of children as a result of repeated interviews using sets of misleading questions and unbiased leading questions. The increasing participation of children in the legal system as victims and as witnesses has led to a concomitant concern for the reliability of their eyewitness reports. It is now well-documented that younger children remember less information and are more prone to follow the suggestions of an interviewer than are older children. However, the mechanisms underlying such patterns are less well understood. In particular, there is debate concerning whether young children's susceptibility to suggestion results from actual changes in their memory representations (memory impairment) or from the demand characteristics of the situation (complying with a persistent adult). This issue assume especial importance when children are interviewed frequently, as is typical of most court cases. Three experiments will be executed in which changes in the eyewitness reports of kindergarten, grade 2, and grade 4 children and adults are assessed. The experiments will assess the extent to which the subjects' eventual compliance with an interviewer's suggestion represents acquiescence to the demand characteristics of the situation or to memory impairment. The results of the study should be of great significance in assisting policymakers and participants in the legal system to assess accurately and use fairly the eyewitness testimony of children involved in the legal system. %%%% The increasing participation of children in the legal system as victims and as witnesses has led to a concomitant concern for the reliability of their eyewitness reports. It is now well-documented that younger children remember less information and are more prone to follow the suggestions of an interviewer than are older children. The purpose of this study is to investigate age differences in eyewitness memory of children as a result of repeated interviews using sets of misleading questions and unbiased leading questions. Three experiments will be conducted to assess the extent to which the subjects' eventual compliance with an interviewer's suggestion represents acquiescence to the demand characteristics of the situation or to memory impairment. The results of the study should be of great significance in assisting policymakers and participants in the legal system to assess accurately and use fairly the eyewitness testimony of children involved in the legal system. ****
