Contribution to Book
15. Assessing the competency of child witnesses: Best practice informed by psychology and law.
Children’s Testimony: A Handbook of Psychological Research and Forensic Practice
(2011)
Abstract
Truth-lie competency, which concerns the child's understanding of the difference between truth and lies and the importance of telling the truth, can be demonstrated by asking the child whether simple statements are the truth, and by asking the child to promise to tell the truth. Tests of children's truth-lie competency do not predict honesty, but eliciting a child's promise to tell the truth does increase honesty.
Keywords
- child witnesses,
- child abuse,
- child neglect,
- child development,
- child psychology
Disciplines
Publication Date
July 1, 2011
Citation Information
Lyon, T. D. (2011). Assessing the competency of child witnesses: Best practice informed by psychology and law. In M. Lamb, D. La Rooy, L. Malloy, & C. Katz (Eds.), Children’s Testimony: A Handbook of Psychological Research and Forensic Practice (pp. 69-85). Sussex, England: Wiley-Blackwell.