The influence of event frequency and age on children's retraction rates of false beliefs

Children often have difficulty accurately recalling specific instances from within a series of similar events. These reports may be compromised if suggestive interviewing techniques are used. However, less information exists regarding whether children will maintain false reports if challenged. The current study examined children’s retraction rates of false statements. Kindergarten and Grade 3 children participated in one or four craft session(s). Four days later, children participated in a biasing interview, which included minor suggestions about the target session. The following day, children participated in two memory interviews about this session. A source-monitoring training session was implemented to help children distinguish between suggested and experienced information. Results demonstrated that children in the repeat-event condition were not more suggestible than children in the single-event condition and that children in the single-event condition answered more questions correctly after the training session; this session had no effect on retraction rates of false statements.