‘What else should I say?’ An analysis of the question repetition practiced in police interviews of 4–11‐year‐olds

Forensic interviewing protocols caution against question repetition, because it is believed that repetition may encourage detrimental changes in the accuracy of children’s responses. Transcripts of 95 police interviews, with children aged between 4 and 11 years, who had made allegations of abuse, were examined for instances of question repetition. Repetitions were coded for their position in the interview, the number, style, intent and consequence of repetition. Question repetition was involved in 25% of all questions asked and led to changes in 75% of children’s responses. These findings have major implications for the conduct of forensic interviews.