NCJ Number
104430
Journal
Polygraph Volume: 15 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1986) Pages: 211-220
Date Published
1986
Length
10 pages
Annotation
The 'special care questioning' techniques being developed by the Psychology Unit of the Royal Hong Kong Police Force are suitable for use with children, the mentally impaired, emotionally traumatized victims (notably child sexual abuse victims), and normal adults whose original memories of an incident are not clear.
Abstract
'Special care questioning' derives from a synthesis of the experimental psychology of human memory, the developmental psychology of childhood or mental immaturity, and the social psychology of the interview. Such questioning takes account of the vagaries of human memory and the effects of various questioning styles. The questioning surpasses forensic hypnosis in securing reliable testimony. The foundation of 'special care questioning' is in the assessment and preparation of the subject. Comfort, relaxation, rapport, attitudes conducive to accuracy, and the calming of fears are part of the initial preparation. In dealing with emotionally traumatized children, the interviewer must deal with the victim's resistance to questioning, shame, defensiveness, and other emotional states. After the initial assessment of the style and idiosyncrasies of the subject, the subject should be encouraged to present a free narrative account of the incident or incidents at issue. Trained interviewers can use memory enhancement techniques such as guided fantasy and reinstatement of the context. 24 footnotes.