Questioning Children: The Effects of Suggestive and Repeated Questioning

Abstract

This is a critical review of several of the most extensively researched issues regarding children's suggestibility. I discuss the research on suggestive questions, repeated questions, and repeated interviews. For each topic I isolate the factors that make children more or less suggestible, in order to facilitate consideration of the applicability of the research to individual cases. I highlight how the research may be interpreted in different ways, leading one to be less skeptical of children's reports than is currently the norm.