Thesis (M.Sc.)--Memorial University of Newfoundland, 2004. / Bibliography: leaves 52-57.

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2004. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 56-62). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://wwwlib.umi.com/cr/yorku/fullcit?pMQ99301

Thesis (Ph.D.) - University of Queensland, 2004. / Includes bibliography.

Thesis (M.A.)--York University, 2004. Graduate Programme in Psychology. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 67-74). Also available on the Internet. MODE OF ACCESS via web browser by entering the following URL: http://gateway.proquest.com/openurl?url%5Fver=Z39.88-2004&res%5Fdat=xri:pqdiss &rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:dissertation&rft_dat=xri:pqdiss:MR11918

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Ohio University, June, 2008. / Abstract only has been uploaded to OhioLINK. Includes bibliographical references (leaves 70-79)

This exploratory study examined the manner in which variations in questioning procedures influenced the amount and accuracy of information that children and young adults recalled about a video-taped incident. Preschoolers, 8 to 10-year-olds and young adults were assigned to one of three conditions. In the control condition, one interviewer had complete knowledge of the incident and used a standard question protocol to obtain free recall. To examine how prior knowledge may predispose interviewers to use leading questions, 60 interviewers in the informed condition had limited information about the incident and 60 interviewers in the blind condition had no information about the incident and both groups were free to use their own questioning strategies. The two major dependent measures were spontaneous material (elicited in response to all question types) and yes/no responses to closed questions. Two main hypotheses and several additional questions were examined. The first hypothesis predicted that the amount of spontaneous recall in the blind and informed conditions would be higher but the accuracy lower, when compared to material elicited in the free recall condition across age-groups. Although results showed a significant increase in recall amount, there was a differential effect on accuracy. For the two younger age-groups accuracy decreased but for the adult sample, accuracy scores remained stable across the three conditions. There were clear age-related differences in the amount of material freely recalled in the control condition and no differences in accuracy. In the blind and informed conditions, there were significant age-related differences in both the amount and accuracy of spontaneous recall material. The second hypothesis predicted that closed questions which are leading (in the correct sense) would elicit more accurate responses than those that are misleading. Results supported this hypothesis for the two older samples but there was no difference between the two accuracy scores for the youngest samples. The two older age-groups scored significantly higher than the pre-school sample for accuracy based on leading questions, but there were no age-related differences in response to misleading questions. The blind and informed conditions did not differ in the accuracy of spontaneous recall or closed question material. Accuracy scores were adjusted by subtracting errors associated with particular features in the questioning context and the subject’s developmental status. In comparing the original and adjusted accuracy scores, age-related differences for spontaneous recall were minimal and disappeared for accuracy based on closed questions. In addition to language and comprehension errors, the error type which most clearly distinguished the pre-school from the older age-groups were addition errors classed as incorrect inferences and fabrications. In all cases, these error types were associated with one or more features of the questioning context. The sequential nature of the question/response discourse was highlighted in the proportion of error which was extended over a sequence of turns and the proportion of interviews containing one or more e>ror retractions. For both measures, the two younger groups scored higher that the young adult group. Age related differences were also found in the amount and accuracy of material in the interviewer reports as well as in the components of report error. The results include a detailed outline of the manner in which fabricated material emerged, the circumstances under which it was retracted and the degree to which it appeared in the interviewer reports. Also reviewed are qualitative features relating to the form, content, techniques and style of questioning as well as characteristics of young children’s language, thinking and perception. The results are compared to previous research findings regarding age-related differences in question/response material with specific focus on issues regarding children’s inaccuracy, suggestibility and inability to distinguish fact from fantasy. Productive and counter-productive questioning procedures are discussed in relation to the demand characteristics of the interview setting, the nature of repeated questioning and a number of related issues specific to questioning in the forensic context. Practical application of the findings are discussed with a particular focus on improving non-leading questioning skills in applied settings. / Graduate

Explicit memory refers to conscious or deliberate recollection of recent events and experiences, whereas implicit memory is revealed when the same events and experiences affect performance in the absence of conscious recollection. It is well known that implicit and explicit memory develop differently across the life span: Explicit memory is acquired in early childhood, remains stable across adulthood, and then decreases in later life, whereas implicit memory develops earlier in childhood and remains intact well into late adulthood (for review see Graf, 1990). To explain this pattern of results, it has been suggested that implicit memory performance is mediated by automatic processing, whereas explicit memory performance is mediated by subject controlled processing, such as goals and strategies (e.g., Craik, 1983). My thesis examines whether development during the preschool years has the same effect or different effects on implicit and explicit memory test performance. Toward this goal, I first collected normative data to establish baserate performance on category production tests for use in the main experiment. Subjects consisted of 96 preschoolers and production norms were gathered for 7 different categories. The procedure involved reading a brief story to focus subjects attention on a category and required them to name 5 items from that category. Test performance showed two notable findings. First, some categories had a more gradual drop-off in response rate distributions than others, and second, differences in response rates for the different age groups were greater in some categories than others. The main part of this thesis is an experiment that examined whether development has the same effect or different effects on implicit and explicit memory test performance. Subjects for this study consisted of groups of 12 3-, 4-, and 5-year olds (n=36). The method involved presenting subjects with category production and category cued-recall tests for previously studied items. The items were selected from the norms according to three criteria: frequency of occurrence in the norms was not at floor or ceiling, occurrence frequencies were similar across age groups, and each item was representable as a picture. During the study phase five items were studied from each of 4 categories: CLOTHES, TRAVEL, PLAYGROUND, and ZOO. Ten of the 20 items (5 per category) were studied by each subject -- 5 in a non-elaborative study condition that required subjects to name each item and 5 in an elaborative study condition that asked them to name each item and answer a question about real-life aspects/uses of the item (e.g., "Do boys wear dresses?"). Two sets of target items that were not studied were used to assess baserate performance. The testing phase occurred immediately after the study phase. Implicit memory performance was assessed with category production tests using the same procedure as for the norms study. Explicit memory was assessed with a category cued-recall test. The critical findings from the implicit memory tests were: more priming in the elaborative than in the non-elaborative study conditions, and similarly large priming effects across age-groups. The explicit memory test results showed that performance increased across age-groups, but only for materials in the non-elaborative study condition. In the elaborative study condition 3-year olds' performance was comparable to that of the 5-year olds. The present thesis illustrated the distinction between implicit and explicit memory performance. Furthermore, it supports the hypothesis that while there is overlap of some of the components mediating these forms of memory, particularly related to storage of materials, there are significant differences between other mediating processes of implicit and explicit memory that are more closely associated with retrieval of materials. / Arts, Faculty of / Psychology, Department of / Graduate

M.A. (Psychology) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

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