Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Description: This short (178 pages) book consists of an introduction and 10 chapters. The
first 8 chapters written by various cognitive development researchers provide
different perspectives on deception in children. Current research is described
and compared to older studies. Research using strong motivational manipulations
provides clear evidence that even very young children
use deception, although it is not clear whether the children understand their
behavior as deceptive. The last two chapters consist of commentaries on the
first 8, one by a psychologist and the other by a legal scholar. The research
and theories about deception are related to the issue of children's testimony in
sexual abuse cases. Each chapter contains references and there is an
author index and subject index at the end of the book. Discussion: Taken together, the current research described in this book demonstrates that children do lie when the motivational structure is tilted towards lying. However, even very young children are capable of providing forensically useful information if they are interviewed carefully and if the interview format is conducive to accurate reporting. Ceci and Leichtman stress that "no good will be served by ignoring the research that shows that there are potentially serious social and cognitive hazards to young child witnesses" (p.8). The excellent commentary by Lucy McGough that concludes this book relates the issues in this volume to the courtroom. McGough notes that the important question to be achieved in the voir dire of a child witness is whether a properly cautioned child witness is more likely to tell the truth than a child who is not. McGough suggests that children not simply be questioned about their understanding of truth and falsehood before testifying but instructed about the difference. She recommends that the court emphasize the importance of telling the truth and stress that children should not guess if they don't know the answer to a question, and that they be informed that punishment will result if they lie but that the court will provide protection if they were threatened. McGough believes that such procedures would improve truth-telling in child witnesses. This book is highly recommended for judges, attorneys, and mental health professionals who deal with child witnesses. Reviewed by LeRoy Schultz, Emeritus Professor of Social Work, West Virginia University, and Hollida Wakefield, Institute for Psychological Therapies, Northfield, Minnesota.
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