Michael P. Toglia

Age Differences in Suggestibility: Narrowing the Uncertainties

In the late seventeenth century the village of Salem, Massachusetts was gripped with what, in retrospect, seems like a series of strange and inexplicable events. During a three-month period in 1691, twenty-one citizens of Salem were accused, tried, and found guilty of practicing witchcraft and sorcery. The accused spanned all ages, social classes, and sexes. All but one were sentenced to death.

Age Stereotypes, Communication Modality, and Mock Jurors’ Perceptions of the Child Witness

In the American legal system today, few issues are as timely as the debate over the credibility of the child witness. As the number of child and spousal abuse cases in America continues to rise, courts are increasingly forced to turn to the testimony of children (Beach, 1983; Finkelhor, 1984). The courts do so with some trepidation, for both lawyers and judges recognize some potentially serious issues centering on the child witness: Are children able to render accurate testimony about the crimes they witness? Are they dangerously open to suggestibility on the part of attorneys and the police? Can they adequately distinguish between reality and fantasy?