Forensic interviews with children: The evaluation and improvement of the forensic interview

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project Area: Law and Human Behavior
• Project/Area Number: 23101010
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Innovative Areas (Research in a proposed research area)
• Allocation Type: Single-year Grants
• Review Section: Humanities and Social Sciences
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Naka Makiko 北海道大学, 文学研究科, 教授 (00172255)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): SHIROSHITA Yuji 北海道大学, 大学院法学研究科, 教授 (90226332) ; SHIRATORI Yuji 神奈川大学, 法務研究科, 教授 (10171050)
• Project Period (FY): 2011-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: 法意識 / 法教育 / 捜査手続き / 裁判員裁判 / 司法と福祉

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Forensic interviewing is the method of eliciting as accurate information as possible from alleged child witnesses and victims, while lessening their stress. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the method and the training program to improve them. In order to achieve these goals, we conducted basic studies, which topics include the difference of interviews between pre- and post training, the effect of repeating interviews, memory for positive and negative events, effects of instructions in the interviews, acquisition of vocabulary to talk about events (timing), and so on. We provided the results to professionals through the training, and then we received their feedbacks and use them to promote basic studies. We also supported professionals to conduct interviews in the real-world settings to promote implementation of the method in their practices.

Free Research Field

実験心理学