ABSTRACT
Over the past 25 years, many researchers have studied children’s testimony with a particular focus on children’s capacities to provide reliable and valid information about their past experiences (see reviews by Ceci & Bruck, 1995; Ceci, Leichtman, & Putnick, 1992; Dent & Flin, 1992; McGough, 1994; Memon & Bull, 1999; Perry & Wrightsman, 1991; Poole & Lamb, 1998; Spencer & Flin, 1990). Initially, most researchers conducted controlled studies in the laboratory, but their ecological validity was often questioned (Doris, 1991; Lamb & Thierry, 2005). Since then, studies conducted in both field and laboratory circumstances have focused more narrowly on issues of particular relevance to forensic application—and have helped generate a remarkable consensus about children’s competencies and limitations.
