Major and Classification
B.A. Psychology
Faculty Mentor
Dr. Thomas D. Lyon
Department
Gould School of Law
Research Gateway Project
In Progress
Project Abstract
Child sexual abuse (CSA) is an incredibly heavy and sensitive topic, but there have been countless studies surrounding how psychological concepts can be applied to legal matters. One aspect of CSA, however, that has not been heavily researched are references to numerosity. Studies have shown that those who have experienced abuse frequently can alter their recall of the alleged abuse, which can ultimately harm the child’s credibility if they can’t accurately describe the events. And so, our research aims to measure how often police reports indicate asking questions regarding the numerosity of abuse, and if the reports acknowledge children being uncertain in their responses. We hope for interviewers to obtain accurate reports with little estimation and guessing from the child. And through this, we can assume that children will seem more reliable and credible.