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Interviewing Children

The Science of Conversation in Forensic Contexts

Jason J Dickinson author Debra Ann Poole, PhD author

Format:Paperback

Publisher:American Psychological Association

Published:26th Aug '24

Should be back in stock very soon

Interviewing Children cover

Interviewing Children is an accessible guide for forensic interviewers, clinicians, attorneys, and other professionals who rely on children’s testimony.

In this second edition, Poole and Dickinson present new thematic chapters on conversation habits, conventional content, and protocols for training.

Highlights include:

  • Sample dialogues that help flesh out and illustrate research-based recommendations for practice 
  • quick guides that synthesize core ideas and skills
  • "Principles to Practice" sections that answer questions about child interviewing; and
  • a comprehensive appendix of learning activities readers can use to sharpen their interviewing skills.

The primary goal of all conversations with child witnesses is to help children describe events in their lives as completely, accurately, and unambiguously as they can. But common obstacles can make this task difficult, if not impossible. Interviewing Children offers a comprehensive look at the science of conversation with children in forensic contexts and provides the research-based tools and practices for navigating these obstacles.

This is a must-read for scientists, practitioners, and other professionals interested in child forensic interviewing. Dickinson and Poole have managed to distill decades of complex scientific research on talking to children into comprehensible prose without losing the rigor of scientific inquiry. -- Deborah A. Connolly, Ph.D., LL.B., University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada; Professor, Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University
In their new book, Interviewing Children: The Science of Conversation in Forensic Contexts, Deb Poole and Jason Dickinson provide a thoughtfully and thoroughly resourced, highly readable, and, above all, admirably practical guide for forensic interviewers striving to conduct evidence-informed interviews of children and adolescents in the legal system. Richly reflective of the authors’ expertise and mastery, the book should be read closely by every professional in the field. -- Michael E Lamb, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, England, United Kingdom; editor of Psychology, Public Policy & Law; editor-in-chief of Applied Cognitive Psychology
Debra Poole and Jason Dickinson’s new edition of Interviewing Children is both practical and scientific. They do an admirable job of summarizing the burgeoning research on what makes children’s reports more productive and more accurate, which they then translate into clear guidance for practitioners. Anyone who works with children, either as an interviewer or as a researcher, will find this book invaluable. -- Thomas Lyon, Judge Edward J. and Ruey L. Guirado Chair in Law and Psychology, University of Southern California Gould School of Law, Los Angeles, CA; JD, Harvard Law School, Cambridge, MA; PhD, Stanford (Psychology), Stanford, CA, United States
This book is a must-read for anyone who works with children. It offers an up-to-date overview of the science on child witness interviewing with a down-to-earth delivery style that will help professionals translate knowledge into practice. -- Martine Powell, Founding Director, Centre for Investigative Interviewing

ISBN: 9781433843204

Dimensions: unknown

Weight: unknown

273 pages

2nd edition