ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the methodologies as well as the primary issues of many studies address applied concerns rather than theoretical ones; and yet the results of these studies have expanded, and at times challenged, some important theoretical concepts. In order to investigate the dimensions of children's suggestibility, it has been necessary to expand our definition of suggestibility. When researchers have the opportunity to examine actual interviews of child witnesses conducted by therapists, forensic investigators, or even parents, it quickly becomes apparent that there are often several glaring disjunctions between these real-world interviews and the highly structured question-and-answer dialogues that take place in experimental studies. The information provided on the one-page sheet influenced the social worker's hypothesis about what had transpired, and powerfully influenced the dynamics of the interview, with the social worker eventually shaping some of the children's reports to be consistent with her hypothesis, even when it was inaccurate.
