Two years later: Effect of question repetition and retention interval on the eyewitness testimony of children and adults.

This study examined witnesses' memories for an event experienced 2 years earlier. Ss in 4 age groups (6-, 8- and 10-year-olds and adults; N= 79) answered repeated questions about an ambiguous incident that occurred as part of an earlier study (D. A. Poole & L. T. White, 1991). Surprisingly, the effects of question repetition were similar to the patterns observed 2 years ago. There were important differences in the testimonies of children and adults, however, that were not observed in the initial study: Children were less consistent than adults across sessions on yes-no questions, less accurate in response to open-ended questions, and more likely to fabricate answers to a question about a man's occupation. Some children also confused the actions of 2 research assistants. These results indicate the need for additional research on qualitative and quantitative changes in children's testimonies over long delays. The literature on children's eyewitness testimony is a story of contradictions, with developmental trends in accuracy, suggestibility, and response to stress differing from study to study (see Ceci & Bruck, 1993, for a review). Discrepancies have prompted critics to argue that eyewitness research lacks theoretical cohesion and that established theories of perception and memory are not immediately applicable because of the influence of motivational and social factors in event reporting (Sheehy & Chapman, 1982, p. 345). In early studies, concerns about ecological validity often loomed larger than efforts to reconcile eyewitness findings with traditional concepts of memory development.