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And I Was Very, Very Crying Childrens Memory
of Medical Emergencies

• Carole Peterson
• Memorial University
• of
• Newfoundland

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and Teddy could hear me right out in the parking
lot!
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(No Transcript)
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Overview

• Target Events Injuries Needing Emergency Room
  Treatment
• Recruited from ER
• Interview based on Prototype
• Children Interviewed 4 Times (Original study)
• Shortly after event
• 6 months later
• 1 year later
• 2 years later
• Parents Interviewed at 1st Visit

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Student Collaborators

• Michael Bell
• Suanne Carter
• Myra Dean
• Nicola Donovan
• Craig Dowden
• Melody Grant
• Tiffany Hardy
• Corinna MacDonald
• Lisa Moores
• Melanie Noel
• Tina Parsons

• Michelle Rees
• Darlene Rice
• Regina Rideout
• Jennifer Saunders
• Tracy Tizzard
• Jennifer Tobin
• Susan Tobin
• Sharon Watton
• Nikki Whalen
• Gina White

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2 Year Follow-up Children 2 -13 Years When
Injured

• Number of Participants
• 11 2 year olds
• 24 3-4 year olds
• 31 5-6 year olds
• 29 8-9 year olds
• 22 12-13 year olds

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Distribution of Stress Levels
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Data Reduction

• Completeness of Recall ( of relevant prototype
  elements child recalled)
• Accuracy of Recall ( of those elements they
  recalled that were correct)

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Two Years Later Completeness of Recall
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Percent Components RecalledEvent x Time
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Two Years Later Accuracy of Recall
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Percent Accuracy of RecallEvent x Time
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Yes/No Questions

• Are questions in yes/no format reliable
  questions?
• Reliability important since most questions in
  forensic situations are yes/no

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Accuracy of Yes and No Responses
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Effect of Stress Level2 year follow-up
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Effect of Stress LevelPartial Correlations
between stress and memory(Age partialled out)

• INJURY
• No significant correlations
• HOSPITAL
• Central details
• More complete more accurate
•   Peripheral details
• No effect of stress

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5 Year Follow-up2-13 year olds

• Number of Participants
• 9 2 year olds
• 17 3-4 year olds
• 17 5-6 year olds
• 22 8-9 year olds
• 16 12-13 year olds

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Five Years Later Completeness of Recall
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Five Years Later Accuracy of Recall
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If the child was pre-narrative(unable to talk
about the past)

• Ability to recount the past begins at 2-2½ years
• Some children injured when only 1 year old (or
  barely 2 years)
• Unable to tell about the event soon after it
  occurred
• Ability to talk about the past (narrate) not yet
  present
• Can they translate these nonverbal memories to
  verbal accounts?

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Number of children recalling somethingabout the
target event
.
Age No Recall Some Recall
1-Yr-Olds 15 10
2-Yr-Olds 3 10
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Classification of Childrens Recall at 5 Years
Classification 1-year-olds 2-year-olds
Good recall 1 7
Minimal report 2 2
Amalgamated 7 1
No recall 15 3
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Forensic Implications

• What are the courts asking memory experts about
  childrens long-term memory?

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Questions

• Can a preschooler be a reliable witness?
• Can a child under 2 years be a reliable witness?
• How important are competency requirements like
  understanding the concept of truth and lies?