ERIC Number: EJ758823
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006
Pages: 26
Abstractor: Author
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0163-853X
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
Young and Older Adult Eyewitnesses' Use of Narrative Features in Testimony
Allison, Meredith; Brimacombe, C. A. Elizabeth; Hunter, Michael A.; Kadlec, Helena
Discourse Processes: A Multidisciplinary Journal, v41 n3 p289-314 2006
This study examined the relationship between witness age, narrative features in testimony, and the perceived credibility of witnesses. Ninety older and young adult witnesses to a staged theft were videotaped as they freely recalled crime events. Later, participant-jurors viewed the videos and assessed the witnesses' credibility. Operational definitions of 16 narrative features were formulated. Two independent raters analyzed a sample of the transcribed testimonies to assess their narrative features and interrater reliability was high. The narrative features of the testimonies were then entered into a principal components analysis and the narrative features loaded onto four components. Older adults were more likely than young adults to comment on the characters and the situation, refer to their own experiences as the narrator, refer to the listener, and describe the crime in a dramatic fashion. Young adults were more likely to structure their testimonies in a way that clearly indicated that they were beginning their narratives (e.g., "first of all"). The credibility variables were also analyzed by principal components and the variables loaded onto two components. Older adult witnesses were perceived as more honest when compared with young adults. Age aside, witnesses with more sequencing in their testimonies were more likely to be perceived as competent.
Descriptors: Adults, Young Adults, Definitions, Interrater Reliability, Factor Analysis, Crime, Credibility, Simulation, Videotape Recordings, Age Differences, Ethics, Personal Narratives, Serial Ordering, Responses, Competence
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A