Effects of processing speed on intelligence may be underestimated: Comment on Demetriou et al. (2013)

This commentary suggests ways to extend research by Demetriou et al. (2013), who may have underestimated the effects of processing speed on the development of intelligence. It argues that future research should consider variability in processing speed, complexity in speed tasks, and reaction times excluded from speed estimates.     

Methods and aims of investigative interviewing of adult witnesses: An analysis of professional practices

Eyewitnesses provide crucial evidence for the investigation of criminal cases. We analysed professional police interviewers’ behaviour by conducting a literature review. Our results indicate that the interviewing techniques used by untrained and trained investigators are predominantly inappropriate and harmful to memory recall. The way investigators curtail and select witnesses’ responses suggests that they look for specific information. As a subsequent step, we analysed investigative interviewing in terms of professional objectives, identifying the types of information that the police inquire about during the interview. Based on our results, we conclude future research should perform a fine-grained analysis of professional interviewing procedures with the aim of producing effective interviewing techniques that meet investigators’ real-world objectives.     

Idiosyncratic effects of interviewer behavior on the accuracy of children's responses

Children are interviewed to provide information about past events in various contexts (e.g., police interviews, court proceedings, therapeutic interviews). During an interview, various factors may influence the accuracy of children's responses to questions about recent events. However, behavioral research in this area is limited. Sparling et al. (2011) showed that children frequently provided inaccurate responses to questions about video clips they just watched depending on the antecedents (i.e., the way a question was asked) and consequences (i.e., the response of the interviewer to their answers). In the current study, we replicated and extended the procedures reported by Sparling et al. and found that two of five children were sensitive to the various antecedents and consequences that we manipulated. Our findings indicate a need for more research in this area to determine the relevant environmental variables that affect children's response accuracy.     

Statement Validity Analysis

Summary

All information regarding 103 Dutch sexual abuse cases was analyzed using the Validity Checklist, the second part of the Statement Validity Analysis procedure. The fulfillment of the VC items was compared for four different age groups. Only two VC items differed significantly between the age groups. The systematic summarization of content analysis and validity checks revealed only a weak relationship between the fulfillment of the CBCA criteria and the VC items together and the outcome of the cases. The results suggest that SVA cannot yet be used as a scientifically validated instrument for judging the truthfulness of allegations of child sexual abuse.     

Research-Based Guidelines for Child Forensic Interviews

Abstract

We present important considerations for conducting forensic interviews with children who are witnesses to or alleged victims of crime. Specifically, we (a) present the basic principles of the forensic interview and review some of the best structured forensic protocols currently available; (b) provide a detailed, practical blueprint for conducting a structured forensic interview and emphasize how the components of the interview are based upon empirical research; and (c) discuss special con siderations for interviews with children of different age groups and children who have special needs or circumstances, and interviews involving various crime circumstances. We end with suggestions to assist legal and social service professionals in accessing the social science research literature that should inform forensic interview techniques.     

Women’s Reporting of Physical Assaults to Police in a National Sample: A Brief Report

Research examining reporting decisions of women physically assaulted by any type of perpetrator is scarce. This study used data from the National Violence Against Women Survey (NVAWS) to examine how victim characteristics, assault characteristics, emotions during the assault, and postassault disclosure to informal social support sources affect victim and third-party reporting decisions in physical assault incidents. Results showed that victim education, race and ethnicity, victim–offender relationship, crime severity, perceived life threat, and disclosure to informal social support sources were related to victim reporting, whereas victim employment and marital status were associated with third-party reporting.     

Étude exploratoire de la stabilité à long terme des indices standard du WISC-IV

By a Test–Retest procedure, this study explores the long-term stability of the French WISC-IV index scores. The average Test–Retest interval was 2.33 years. The sample consisted of 96 non-clinical children aged between 8 and 12 years. Mean difference between the two testings was not statistically significant for VCI, PRI, WMI, GAI and FSIQ. Test–Retest reliability correlations between the two assessments are high for VCI, GAI and FSIQ (ranging from .81 to .82). An analysis of the performance differences between two assessments indicates intra-individual stability for WMI and GAI. In sum, only GAI demonstrates reliable long-term stability at an inter-and intra-individual level.     

Color Associations of Male and Female Fourth-Grade School Children

Four groups (two male and two female) were asked to respond to a number of concepts with the first color that came to mind. Results led to the following conclusions: (a) We replicated Byrnes' (1983) findings that indicated that there is a definite color association among children to stimuli; (b) there was no significant difference between the responses of the male children and those of the female children; (c) two opposing findings concerning the perceived valence of colors were both supported by the data; and (d) we found mat emotionally loaded stimuli evoked similar responses from males and females, whereas neutral stimuli elicited different responses.     

Dynamic Structure in Diagnostic Structured Interviewing: A Comparative Test of Accuracy and Efficiency

The incorporation of Bayesian logic into diagnostic interviewing may assist with empirically based diagnostic assessment strategies in practice settings, balancing cost effectiveness, administration demands, and accuracy, yet few demonstrations of such a system have been undertaken in the context of mental health diagnosis. The present study represented an initial feasibility demonstration of whether a simplified Bayesian approach offered comparative advantages in interview accuracy and efficiency against a standard assessment procedure. Two different diagnostic algorithms were compared targeting three selected diagnoses: generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and social phobia (SP). The first algorithm was from a standard semi-structured diagnostic interview, and the second was from a dynamic system using diagnostic base rate information to select interview content. The dynamic algorithm reduced administration time and uniformly matched or improved accuracy over standard procedures. Preparation of this article was supported in part by National Institute of Mental Health Grant R03 MH60134, an award from the University of Hawai‘i Research Council, and awards from the Hawaii Departments of Health and Education to the first author.     

结构化面试中面试官的评分及影响因素

结构化面试是人事选拔中采用的主要评价方法之一。解释结构化面试过程中面试官和应聘者行为反应的理论观点有社会互动理论、拟剧论、行为一致性观点、特质激活理论等。一个完整的结构化面试可以划分为关系建立、题目问答和分数评定三个阶段。在结构化面试中, 面试官的行为从观察、获取、分析、回应应聘者的各种表现信息, 形成初始印象, 到参照面试评分标准评分等, 经历了一系列相互影响的心理过程。影响面试官评分的主要因素包括面试设计因素和考官自身等内部因素, 以及应聘者因素、面试环境因素等外部因素两个方面。结合应聘者反应, 探索面试官评分的心理机制是今后结构化面试研究的突破点。