Deck 6: Child Victims and Witnesses

Question 1

Which of the following was not a contributing factor to the renewed interest in research on child witnesses in the 1970s?

A) Expert psychological testimony was becoming more acceptable in the courtroom.
B) Social scientists were interested in research that could be applied to real-world problems.
C) There was increased interest by social scientists in applied research.
D) There was increase in adult eyewitness research.
E) All of the above were contributing factors to the renewed interest in child witness research.

Answer 1

All of the above were contributing factors to the renewed interest in child witness research.

Question 2

When asked to describe a culprit,both children and adults tend to be accurate describing:

A) height
B) weight
C) age
D) interior facial features
E) exterior facial features

Answer 2

exterior facial features

Question 3

Approximately what percentage of the sample in Porter and Birt's study (2001)reports sexual assault or abuse as their most traumatic memory?

A) 5%
B) 10%
C) 15%
D) 20%
E) 25%

Answer 3

5%

Question 4

The theory that explains children's suggestibility by exploring the social characteristics of the interview process itself is called:

A) cognitive influence
B) social domination
C) social compliance
D) social suggestibility
E) adult compliance

Question 5

Research suggests that the accuracy of children's reporting is highly dependent on:

A) how they are asked to report
B) what they are asked to report
C) who interviews them
D) where they are interviewed
E) all of the above

Question 6

Which of the following is not true of the Step-Wise Interview procedure?

A) It is commonly used in Canada.
B) It was recently found to be less effective than the Action for Child Protection procedure.
C) The procedure begins with the least leading questions possible and proceeds to more specific forms of questioning as necessary.
D) It encourages the use of free narrative.
E) The first goal is to build a rapport with the child.

Question 7

What is the underlying assumption of the Criterion-Based Content Analysis (CBCA)?

A) Descriptions of real events differ in quality and content from memories that are fabricated.
B) Children are likely to lie when interviewed by an adult.
C) Pressure techniques aid at distinguishing truth from lies.
D) Non-verbal actions allow an interviewer to distinguish truthful reports.
E) Wh-questions aid at distinguishing truth from lies.

Question 8

In the context of an interview with a child in which abuse is suspected,a question such as,"Did the man touch you? " is an example of a(n):

A) ambiguous question
B) suggestive question
C) direct question
D) open-ended question
E) prejudicial question

Question 9

Which of the following is not specified as a category of the narrative elaboration procedure?

A) criminal acts
B) participants
C) conversation/affective states
D) settings
E) consequences

Question 10

Which of the following statements is false with respect to direct questioning techniques used with children?

A) Both multiple choice and yes/no questions generally do not encourage high levels of accuracy.
B) Children are more likely to respond with "I don't know" to wh-questions.
C) In multiple choice questions, children are biased toward selecting the first option listed.
D) Older children are more resistant to leading questions of this type than younger children.
E) Direct questions are often necessary to prompt information from children.

Question 11

False memory syndrome is a term coined to describe what?

A) a client's false beliefs that they were sexually abused as children, having no memories of this abuse until they enter therapy to deal with some other psychological problem
B) a client's accurate belief that they were sexually abused as children, having no memories of this abuse until they enter therapy to deal with some other psychological problem
C) a client's false beliefs that they were sexually abused as children, having a continuous memory of this abuse
D) a client's accurate belief that they were sexually abused as children, having a continuous memory of this abuse
E) a client faking memories of abuse

Question 12

In Leichtman and Ceci's Sam Stone study (1995),which condition led to the highest level and lowest level of accuracy?

A) control condition - stereotype plus suggestion condition
B) stereotype condition - control condition
C) suggestion condition - stereotype condition
D) stereotype plus suggestion - control condition
E) There were no differences between the groups in accuracy level.

Question 13

Which of the following is not part of the criteria specified by Lindsay and Read (1995)when determining the veracity of a recovered memory?

A) age of complainant at the time of the alleged abuse
B) age of abuser at the time of the alleged abuse
C) techniques used to recover memory
D) similarity of reports across interview sessions
E) motivation for recall

Question 14

Criterion-Based Content Analysis (CBCA)is part of which more comprehensive protocol?

A) step-wise interview
B) narrative elaboration
C) cognitive interview
D) statement validity analysis
E) National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Interview protocol

Question 15

What are the two types of prompts found in the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Interview protocol?

A) person and place
B) place and action
C) time and action
D) time and cue
E) person and consequences

Question 16

Which of the following statements is false concerning the cognitive processes of children?

A) Children and adults forget information in the same way.
B) Children and adults are different in terms of retention of information.
C) Children can misattribute where information comes from.
D) Children store information differently than adults.
E) none of the above statements are false.

Question 17

Select the correct order of the following "steps" employed in the Step-Wise Interview:

A) rapport building, explaining truth, general questions, free narrative
B) explaining truth, rapport building, general questions, free narrative
C) explaining truth, free narrative, general questions, recall of non-abuse events
D) explaining truth, rapport building, free narrative, general questions
E) rapport building, explaining truth, free narrative, general questions

Question 18

In the study conducted by Pozzulo and Lindsay (1998),it was found that,in contrast to a simultaneous lineup,a sequential lineup tended to __________ the gap for __________ between children and adults.

A) decrease/false positives
B) decrease/false negatives
C) increase/false positives
D) increase/false negatives
E) not affect/false positives

Question 19

In a study by Brown and Pipe (2003),approximately how much information was reported by 6- to 9-year-olds trained with the narrative elaboration technique compared to the control condition without training on the technique?

A) half as much
B) twice as much
C) three times as much
D) four times as much
E) no difference in amount of information reported

Question 20

In your text,some problems have been identified with respect to use of anatomically detailed dolls to diagnose child sexual abuse.One of these problems is that:

A) research conducted on the use of anatomically detailed dolls is conclusive in the finding that children given these props consistently provide more inaccurate details than those children who are not given the dolls
B) many young children have difficulty correctly recognizing and identifying the anatomy of the dolls
C) while a scoring procedure has been developed to score a child's interaction with the doll, this procedure has not been subject to much empirical testing
D) there is no standardization for what dolls should look like
E) all of the above options are correct

Question 21

What is the maximum prison sentence for someone convicted of using the Internet to communicate with a child for the purpose of committing a sexual act?

A) 6 months
B) 1 year
C) 18 months
D) 2 years
E) 5 years

Question 22

Which was not identified by Putnam (2003)as a category of outcomes in adults with a history of childhood sexual abuse?

A) dysfunctional behaviours
B) psychiatric disorders
C) neurobiological dysregulation
D) eating disorders
E) all of the above were identified as outcomes

Question 23

Several alternatives to child in-court testimony have been identified.Which alternative is not permissible in the Canadian court system?

A) closed-circuit testimony
B) hearsay witnesses
C) presence of a support person while the child gives testimony
D) closing the courtroom to the public
E) banning all cross-examination of the child

Question 24

Low socioeconomic status and large family size are risk factors associated with what type of abuse?

A) physical abuse
B) sexual abuse
C) emotional abuse
D) neglect
E) all of the above

Question 25

Which of the following currently applies to the use of corporal punishment in Canada?

A) Parents are permitted to strike their children on the head or face between the ages of 3 and 12.
B) Parents may use physical force with a child between the ages of 3 and 12, but may not use an object to hit the child.
C) Parents are permitted to spank a child, under the age of 2 or older than age 12.
D) Under no circumstances is a teacher allowed to use physical force with a student.
E) none of the above

Question 26

Under the new Canada Evidence Act,a child is defined as anyone under:

A) 18 years old
B) 16 years old
C) 14 years old
D) 12 years old
E) 10 years old

Question 27

According to a 2005 incidence report of child maltreatment cases in Canada,the most common form of abuse substantiated was:

A) sexual
B) physical
C) emotional
D) neglect
E) all of the above had comparable substantiated rates

Question 28

Name and briefly describe the two directions that have been taken to understand children's greater propensity toward suggestibility when recalling events (Bruck & Ceci,1999).

Question 29

Describe the changes made to the competency inquiry with the enactment of Bill C-2 (2006).

Question 30

Under the new Canada Evidence Act,section 16.1,how do children testify?

A) under oath
B) under a promise to tell the truth
C) Children are not allowed to testify.
D) A child's testimony is only allowed if it can be corroborated.
E) Children testify the same way as adults do.

Question 31

In a retrospective study conducted from 1995 to 1997 of community members in California,approximately what percentage of male participants and what percentage of female participants reported childhood sexual abuse?

A) 5% male - 15% female
B) 10% male - 20% female
C) 15% male - 25% female
D) 20% male - 30% female
E) 25% male - 35% female

Question 32

As stated in your text,while risk factors for ____________ are varied,risk factors for ____________ tend to revolve around family composition.

A) physical abuse/sexual abuse
B) sexual abuse/physical abuse
C) emotional abuse/physical abuse
D) sexual abuse/emotional abuse
E) neglect/emotional abuse

Question 33

According to a 2005 report of child maltreatment cases in Canada,approximately _____ of reported cases were substantiated.

A) 10%
B) 25%
C) 35%
D) 45%
E) 60%

Question 34

Pozzulo and Lindsay (1999)found that,with the use of the elimination procedure,children produce ___________ rates that are _________ than/as when the simultaneous procedure is used with adults.

A) false positive/lower
B) false positive/higher
C) false positive/about the same
D) false negative/about the same
E) false negative/lower

Question 35

Pozzulo and Balfour (2006)found that correct rejection rates for children and adults were similar when:

A) no change in appearance occurred
B) the simultaneous lineup was used when no change occurred
C) the elimination lineup was used when no change occurred
D) a change in appearance occurred regardless of lineup procedure used
E) none of the above

Question 36

Name and briefly explain the first five steps of the Step-Wise Interview.

Question 37

A number of changes were made to improve courtroom accommodations for child witnesses in Canada.List four of these changes.

Question 38

What is Criterion-Based Content Analysis (CBCA)?
Specify the assumption that underlies the CBCA and identify two potential problems with this method.

Question 39

The presence of a non-natural parent (i.e.,step-parent)in the household was identified as a risk factor for:

A) physical abuse
B) sexual abuse
C) emotional abuse
D) neglect
E) all of the above

Question 40

Perceptual-motor deficits are commonly reported as a short-term effect of what form of child abuse?

A) physical abuse
B) sexual abuse
C) emotional abuse
D) neglect
E) all of the above

Question 41

List four risk factors associated with physical abuse and four risk factors associated with sexual abuse.