CFI CFI Child & Vulnerable Population Interviewing 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which interviewing protocol is most widely recognized in the US for forensically sound interviews of child victims of abuse?
- The Reid Technique
- The NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Protocol (Correct answer)
- The Behavioral Analysis Interview
- The Structured Clinical Interview
Correct answer: The NICHD (National Institute of Child Health and Human Development) Protocol
The NICHD Protocol is an evidence-based, structured interview guide specifically designed for child abuse investigations and is widely adopted across US jurisdictions.
Question 2: Before beginning substantive questioning with a child witness, a forensic interviewer should establish 'ground rules' that include:
- Telling the child what answers are expected
- Explaining that the child must answer every question even if uncertain
- Instructing the child to say 'I don't know' or 'I don't understand' when applicable (Correct answer)
- Informing the child that incorrect answers will be corrected by the interviewer
Correct answer: Instructing the child to say 'I don't know' or 'I don't understand' when applicable
Ground rules establish that the child should say 'I don't know,' correct the interviewer, and not guess—reducing the tendency to comply or confabulate under perceived pressure.
Question 3: What is the primary developmental concern when interviewing children under age 5 in a forensic context?
- They cannot understand Miranda rights
- Their limited language skills and suggestibility may affect recall accuracy and reliability (Correct answer)
- They are legally unable to testify in any US court
- They have superior episodic memory compared to older children
Correct answer: Their limited language skills and suggestibility may affect recall accuracy and reliability
Very young children have limited expressive language and are more susceptible to suggestion, requiring specially adapted techniques to obtain reliable forensic information.
Question 4: Which of the following is a recognized risk factor for increased suggestibility in child witnesses?
- High self-esteem and confidence
- Prior forensic interview experience
- Repeated leading questions and pressure from authority figures (Correct answer)
- Older developmental age
Correct answer: Repeated leading questions and pressure from authority figures
Children are more susceptible to suggestion when subjected to repeated leading questions, interviewer authority, and social pressure to agree with the interviewer's implied expectations.
Question 5: The 'practice narrative' phase of a child forensic interview is designed to:
- Allow the child to rehearse the abuse narrative before formal questioning
- Train the child to use open-ended descriptions by discussing a neutral episodic event (Correct answer)
- Assess whether the child has been coached by a parent or guardian
- Replace the rapport-building phase to save interview time
Correct answer: Train the child to use open-ended descriptions by discussing a neutral episodic event
The practice narrative uses a neutral event (e.g., a recent birthday) to teach the child the episodic memory style required for forensic disclosure before addressing sensitive topics.
Question 6: When interviewing a child with an intellectual disability, a CFI should primarily:
- Use more leading questions to compensate for the child's limited vocabulary
- Adapt language complexity and use shorter questions while maintaining open-ended prompts (Correct answer)
- Assume the child's account is unreliable and rely only on physical evidence
- Conduct the interview without a support person to reduce distraction
Correct answer: Adapt language complexity and use shorter questions while maintaining open-ended prompts
Interviewers must adjust vocabulary and sentence complexity to the child's developmental level while still using open-ended, non-leading question types.
CFI CFI Child & Vulnerable Population Interviewing 1
Which interviewing protocol is most widely recognized in the US for forensically sound interviews of child victims of abuse?