Can children provide reliable eyewitness testimony?

(Part 03)

History shows that a child's testimony may be trusted. In 2008, a study funded by the National Science
Foundation shown that the United States justice system misunderstood the reliability of kid witnesses.
According to a study conducted by the National Science Foundation in 2008, people have two distinct
memory traces: a verbatim trace and a gist trace. The most frequent reason for fabricated recollections is
gist trace. In a verbatim trace, every detail of what transpired is preserved word for word. The National
Science Foundation showed that although younger kids have more "verbatim trace," older children begin
to build more "gist trace," which happens mostly in adults. This study sheds light on the fact that
children's memories may be used to compile more credible evidence. There are two types of memory
storage in the brain recorded memories and captured memories. Studies on adults have shown that
meaning-based memories are more likely to be faulty than other types. When questioned, a child's
testimony is more likely to be accurate than an adult's because children have a longer "verbatim trace".
In addition, this article will demonstrate that, with the right line of inquiry, even young toddlers may
provide reliable witness evidence.

Researchers at the National Science Foundation (2008) and among the general public have found that
children's use of a different region of the brain than adults for recording an event makes their
recollection more accurate, while adults decrease in memory accuracy owing to their greater knowledge
makes their recollection less so. Children are not more likely to exaggerate or lie about past events than
adults, as is often believed.

Young witnesses should be entitled to testify in court if they are interrogated properly using age-
appropriate questions and are deemed competent. Guidelines for interrogation and accessibility of
recordings should be established.

Since younger children are more impressionable, it is essential not to provide them with any false
information and to instead adopt a method that provides support, including the use of open-ended
questions that allow them to share their thoughts and ensure that accurate information is provided. It is
common knowledge today that the credibility of a child's memory testimony is affected by both the
questioning technique and the questions themselves. When youngsters are given the opportunity to

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freely recount an experience, they consistently provide an accurate account. Younger children are unable
to provide the same level of information as adults and older children. An engaging method of asking
youngsters has been created by the United States' National Institute of Child Heath and Human
Development (NICHD). An approach of interviewing children that emphasizes a certain rhythm and
organization, as well as some red flags to avoid.

The quality of interviews conducted according to the guidelines established by the National Institute of
Child Health and Human Development has been proven to rise with time. There is a considerable
increase in the use of open-ended questions, and the use of suggestive prompts is reduced by 50%
compared to interviewers who are not teaching the approach. With this kind of questioning, witnesses
are more likely to provide honest answers, leading to more credible testimony and fewer legal
challenges. When properly questioned and using the developed interviewing technique, a child should
be able to provide credible eyewitness evidence. One can reasonably ask why a child's testimony
wouldn't be considered trustworthy if that of an adult is considered credible.