Memories are the ultimate foundation of testimony in legal settings ranging from criminal trials to divorce mediations and custody hearings. Yet the last decade has seen mounting evidence of various ways in which the accuracy of memories can be distorted on the one hand and enhanced on the other. This book offers a long-awaited comprehensive and balanced overview of what we now understand about children's and adults' eyewitness capabilities--and of the important practical and theoretical implications of this new understanding. The authors, leading clinicians and behavioral scientists with diverse training experiences and points of view, provide insight into the social, cognitive, developmental, and legal factors that affect the accuracy and quality of information obtained in forensic interviews. Armed with the knowledge these chapters convey, practitioners in psychology, psychiatry, social work, criminology, law, and other relevant fields will be better informed about the strengths and limitations of witnesses' accounts; researchers will be better poised to design powerful new studies. Memory and Suggestibility in the Forensic Interview will be a crucial resource for anyone involved in elucidating, interpreting, and reporting the memories of others.

Child witnesses pose unique challenges to the legal system, and courtrooms are daunting and alien to children. Timely and truly international in scope, this volume focuses on the techniques and procedures used to accommodate child witnesses in legal systems in countries around the world and on the research investigating the effectiveness and implications of those techniques. Featuring the work of renowned scholars from the international psycholegal community, International Perspectives on Child Abuse and Children's Testimony not only provides support for all countries seeking to broaden their approach to child psychology and law but also promotes justice where child protection is virtually unknown. Special emphasis is given to techniques currently in use and under investigation in the United States as well as the U.S. applicability of techniques and procedures used in other countries. At a time when issues surrounding children's testimony are under close scrutiny, International Perspectives on Child Abuse and Children's Testimony provides outstanding findings and guidelines for researchers and practitioners in psychology, medicine, criminology/law, social policy, and social work as well as advanced students in these and related fields.

Few questions in psychology have generated as much debate as those concerning the impact of childhood trauma on memory. A lack of scientific research to constrain theory has helped fuel arguments about whether childhood trauma leads to deficits that result in conditions such as false memory or lost memory, and whether neurohormonal changes that are correlated with childhood trauma can be associated with changes in memory. Scientists have also struggled with more theoretical concerns, such as how to conceptualize and measure distress and other negative emotions in terms of, for example, discrete emotions, physiological response, and observer ratings. To answer these questions, Mark L. Howe, Gail Goodman, and Dante Cicchetti have brought together the most current and innovative neurobiological, cognitive, clinical, and legal research on stress and memory development. This research examines the effects of early stressful and traumatic experiences on the development of memory in childhood, and elucidates how early trauma is related to other measures of cognitive and clinical functioning in childhood. It also goes beyond childhood to both explore the long-term impact of stressful and traumatic experiences on the entire course of "normal" memory development, and determine the longevity of trauma memories that are formed early in life. Stress, Trauma, and Children's Memory Development will be a valuable resource for anyone interested in early experience, childhood trauma, and memory research.

Child witnesses pose unique challenges to the legal system, and courtrooms are daunting and alien to children. Timely and truly international in scope, this volume focuses on the techniques and procedures used to accommodate child witnesses in legal systems in countries around the world and on the research investigating the effectiveness and implications of those techniques. Featuring the work of renowned scholars from the international psycholegal community, International Perspectives on Child Abuse and Children's Testimony not only provides support for all countries seeking to broaden their approach to child psychology and law but also promotes justice where child protection is virtually unknown. Special emphasis is given to techniques currently in use and under investigation in the United States as well as the U.S. applicability of techniques and procedures used in other countries. At a time when issues surrounding children's testimony are under close scrutiny, International Perspectives on Child Abuse and Children's Testimony provides outstanding findings and guidelines for researchers and practitioners in psychology, medicine, criminology/law, social policy, and social work as well as advanced students in these and related fields.

"It is refreshing to see a book such as this which is both broad in its conceptualization of the field of child research and deep in its focus. The volume's editors are paragons of awareness when it comes to the need for interdisciplinary research and theory to illuminate the lives and experience of children." - James Garbarino, Loyola University Chicago "Covers a satisfying and unprecedentedly wide range of research relating to childhood. The contributors include many eminent international scholars of childhood, making the book a valuable resource for child researchers. Child advocates will also find the book to be invaluable in their efforts to improve children's well-being, and to change policies and practices for the better." - Anne Smith, University of Otago "A really scintillating collection that will provide a lasting perspective on child studies - stimulating and comprehensive " - Jonathan Bradshaw, University of York In keeping with global changes in children's social and legal status, this Handbook includes examination of children as family members, friends, learners, consumers, people of faith, and participants in law and politics. The contributors also discuss the methodological and ethical requirements for research that occurs in natural settings and that enables children themselves to describe their perspective. The book is divided into three parts: Part I: Setting-Specific Issues in Child Research Part II: Population-Specific Issues in Child Research Part III: Methods in Research on Children and Childhood

A theoretically and empirically rich exploration of universal questions, this book examines the interplay of three distinct behavioural systems involved in romantic love. Leading attachment researchers are joined by proponents of other perspectives, including interdependence theory and self-expansion theory, to review the current state of knowledge in the field. Presented are compelling new studies that address intimacy, jealousy, self-disclosure, sexual behaviour, partner violence, and other processes in both satisfying and dysfunctional relationships. Special topics include gender differences in attachment, as well as attachment dynamics within same-sex couples.

Grounded in the latest clinical and developmental knowledge, this book brings together leading authorities to examine the critical issues that arise when children and adolescents become involved in the justice system. Chapters explore young people's capacities, competencies, and special vulnerabilities as victims, witnesses, and defendants. Key topics include the reliability of children's abuse disclosures, eyewitness testimony, interviews, and confessions; the evolving role of the expert witness; the psychological impact of trauma and of legal involvement; factors that shape jurors' perceptions of children; and what works in rehabilitating juvenile offenders. Policies and practices that are not supported by science are identified, and approaches to improving them are discussed.