2 research outputs found
The use of paraphrasing in investigative interviews
Objective
Young childrenâs descriptions of maltreatment are often sparse thus creating the need for techniques that elicit lengthier accounts. One technique that can be used by interviewers in an attempt to increase childrenâs reports is âparaphrasingâ, or repeating information children have disclosed. Although we currently have a general understanding of how paraphrasing may influence childrenâs reports, we do not have a clear description of how paraphrasing is actually used in the field.
Method
The present study assessed the use of paraphrasing in 125 interviews of children aged 4 to 16 years conducted by police officers and social workers. All interviewer prompts were coded into four different categories of paraphrasing. All childrenâs reports were coded for the number of details in response to each paraphrasing statement.
Results
âExpansion paraphrasingâ (e.g., âyou said he hit you. Tell me more about when he hit youâ) was used significantly more often and elicited significantly more details, while âyes/no paraphrasingâ (e.g., âhe hit you?â) resulted in shorter descriptions from children, compared to other paraphrasing styles. Further, interviewers more often distorted childrenâs words when using yes/no paraphrasing, and children rarely corrected interviewers when they paraphrased inaccurately.
Conclusions and Practical Implications
Investigative interviewers in this sample frequently used paraphrasing with children of all ages and, though childrenâs responses differed following the various styles of paraphrasing, the effects did not differ by the age of the child witness. The results suggest that paraphrasing affects the quality of statements by child witnesses. Implications for investigative interviewers will be discussed and recommendations offered for easy ways to use paraphrasing to increase the descriptiveness of childrenâs reports of their experiences