Childrens Testimony Essay -- essays research papers

Over the last thirty years, the vagary of churlren as witnesses and the accuracy of their tribute has been widely debated. People are asking themselves if the memories of young children, specifically between the ages of five and ten, can be dead on target and in return trusted. So, can childrens memory and testimony be accurate? Prolific amounts of research have been conducted in an attempt to swear out this question. Most of the research suggests that unfortunately we can not rely on their accurate recall in testimony. I would have to say I agree with the findings.The current anxiety about the validity of childrens testimony in court stems mostly from heavily publicized faces of child molestation during the 1980s (Meyer, 1997). As a result of societys chemical reaction to dramatic increases in reports of abuse and neglect, children increasingly are being admitted as witnesses in juvenile and criminal proceedings (Ceci & de Bruyn, 1993). Each year hundreds of thousands of c hildren in North America become entangled in the legal system. ofttimes these children testify about the alleged actions of a parent, teacher, baby-sitter, relative or neighbor. And when this happens, the case is often decided on the basis of the relative credibility of the child versus the defendant. Regardless of whether such testimony is made in forensic interviews, during explorative hearings, or at trial, it may result in life alter decisions for all involved (Ceci & Bruck, 1995).The issue of childrens veracity is not spick-and-span to the courtroom. There were cases in Puritan times in which youngsters testimony was trustworthy for the imprisonment and execution of a number of individuals accused of being witches (Meyer, 1997). Because of this, for both(prenominal) theoretical and practical reasons, many child psychologists, legal professionals, and others have gigantic sought to understand much fully the extent to which young children are able to recall their experienc es and to report on them accurately. As part of this effort, in that respect has also been a great interest in learning more about the developmental course through which young children acquire the cogency (Stern, Stern, & Lamiell, 1999). To thoroughly understand the subject, we must look closely at some(prenominal) aspects and effects of children as witnesses in the lega... ...esses in Court A ontogenesis Dilemma. Children Today, 22. Franklin, D. (1999). Child Witness Credibility. Retrieved 10-02-01 from Psychology Information online Garry, M., & Palaschek, D. L. (2000). Imagination and Memory. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 9, 6-9.Goodman, G. & Levine, M. (1991). Child Witnesses and the Confrontation Clause The American Psychological friendship brief in Maryland v. Graig. Law and Human Behavior, 5, 13-29.Koriat, A., Goldsmith, M., Schneider, W., & Nakash-Dura, M. (2001). The Credibilityof Childrens Testimony Can Children Control the Accuracy of Their Memory Repo rts?. Journal of observational Child Psychology 79, 405-437.Meyer, J. F. (1997). Inaccuracies in Childrens Testimony. United States Hawthoren Press.Myers, D. (1996). Exploring Psychology (3rd ed.). mile