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Young Children’s Competency to Take the Oath: Effects of Task, Maltreatment, and Age

Young Children’s Competency to Take the Oath: Effects of Task, Maltreatment, and Age This study examined maltreated and non-maltreated children’s (N = 183) emerging understanding of “truth” and “lie,” terms about which they are quizzed to qualify as competent to testify. Four- to six-year-old children were asked to accept or reject true and false (T/F) statements, label T/F statements as the “truth” or “a lie,” label T/F statements as “good” or “bad,” and label “truth” and “lie” as “good” or “bad.” The youngest children were at ceiling in accepting/rejecting T/F statements. The labeling tasks revealed improvement with age and children performed similarly across the tasks. Most children were better able to evaluate “truth” than “lie.” Maltreated children exhibited somewhat different response patterns, suggesting greater sensitivity to the immorality of lying. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png Law and Human Behavior Springer Journals

Young Children’s Competency to Take the Oath: Effects of Task, Maltreatment, and Age

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References (48)

Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2009 by American Psychology-Law Society/Division 41 of the American Psychological Association
Subject
Psychology; Community and Environmental Psychology; Personality and Social Psychology; Criminology & Criminal Justice; Law and Psychology
ISSN
0147-7307
eISSN
1573-661X
DOI
10.1007/s10979-009-9177-9
pmid
19263199
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

This study examined maltreated and non-maltreated children’s (N = 183) emerging understanding of “truth” and “lie,” terms about which they are quizzed to qualify as competent to testify. Four- to six-year-old children were asked to accept or reject true and false (T/F) statements, label T/F statements as the “truth” or “a lie,” label T/F statements as “good” or “bad,” and label “truth” and “lie” as “good” or “bad.” The youngest children were at ceiling in accepting/rejecting T/F statements. The labeling tasks revealed improvement with age and children performed similarly across the tasks. Most children were better able to evaluate “truth” than “lie.” Maltreated children exhibited somewhat different response patterns, suggesting greater sensitivity to the immorality of lying.

Journal

Law and Human Behavior – Springer Journals

Published: Mar 5, 2009

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