Uniquely, they found that using the cognitive interviewing technique as a follow-up to a standard interview increased the amount of accurate information gained over using the standard interview a second time. This is especially applicable to field work where the first interview is often conducted hurriedly, without using cognitive procedures (McCauly & Fisher,
1995).
In conclusion I have found that the underlying aspect of child testimony is suggestibility.
Researchers today are concentrating most of their efforts in this area. It is easy to suggest that
no children should be allowed to testify on account of the malleability of their recollection.
However, children can play a vital role in the legal system, and indeed there are many cases in
which a child is the only witness to a crime, but until the time that sufficient research has been done to achieve a system of questioning that will eliminate the suggestibility and social aspects of a child's testimony, all such testimonies should be treated with caution.
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