NCJ Number
108964
Journal
Journal of Social Issues Volume: 40 Issue: 2 Dated: (1984) Pages: 51-67
Date Published
1984
Length
17 pages
Annotation
One does not have far to go to find expressions of the belief in the extreme suggestibility of children. But are children more suggestible than adults? The memory of adults is readily contaminated; by comparison, children appear to be more easily influenced in only some instances.
Abstract
If an event is not encoded well, or if a delay weakens the child's memory relative to an adult's, then differences in memory may emerge. On the other hand, if an event is understandable and interesting to both children and adults, and if their memory for it is still equally strong, there may be no differences in suggestibility. If a suggestion is accomplished through the subtle use of language, or if well-developed knowledge structures are required to comprehend the suggestion, then children may actually be less easily influenced. In short, whether children are more or less suggestible than adults probably depends on the interaction of age with other factors. (Publisher abstract)