Criteria-Based Content Analysis: A Qualitative Review of the First 37 Studies.

Statement Validity Assessment (SVA) is used to assess the veracity of child witnesses’ testimony in trials for sexual offences. The author reviewed the available SVA research. Issues addressed include the accuracy of Criteria-Based Content Analysis (CBCA; part of SVA), interrater agreement between CBCA coders, frequency of occurrence of CBCA criteria in statements, the correlations between CBCA scores and (i) interviewer’s style and (ii) interviewee’s age and social and verbal skills, and issues regarding the Validity Checklist (another part of SVA). Implications for the use of SVA assessments in criminal courts are discussed. It is argued that SVA evaluations are not accurate enough to be admitted as expert scientific evidence in criminal courts but might be useful in police investigations.