Abstract:
This study focuses on the reliable and consistent testimony of the pre-school child in court, after exposure to an unexpected incident. The assumption was made that exposure to an unexpected incident is stress-generating. The impact of stress on the pre-school child’s physiological and psychological functioning and whether it has a negative impact on the child’s ability to testify in court, is addressed in this study. The pre-school child’s memory, as well as the influence of stress and other related factors on the pre-school child’s memory are investigated. In order to render reliable and consistent testimony in court, the pre-school child needs to rely on his recollections of observations made during the incident. The empirical study consisted of a fake invasion by clowns, entering a classroom at a private school during class time. Directly afterwards the children were questioned about the incident, and follow-up interviews were conducted after one month establish whether the participants’ testimonies were influenced by time, suggestion and acute stress.
