Child maltreatment, trauma-related psychopathology, and eyewitness memory in children and adolescents.

Two experiments were conducted to examine eyewitness memory in children and adolescents (9- to 15-years-old) with and without known histories of maltreatment (e.g., physical abuse, exposure to domestic violence). In Experiment 1, participants (N = 35) viewed a positive film clip depicting a congenial interaction between family members. In Experiment 2, participants (N = 31) watched a negative film clip in which a family argument was shown. Younger age and higher levels of trauma-related psychopathology significantly predicted commission errors to direct questions when the positive family interaction had been viewed, but not when the negative family interaction had been shown. Maltreatment history was not a significant unique predictor of memory performance for the positive or negative film clip. Implications for a scientific understanding of the effects of child maltreatment on memory are discussed.

[1]  C. Widom,et al.  Long-term effects of child abuse and neglect on emotion processing in adulthood. , 2014, Child abuse & neglect.

[2]  Sonja P. Brubacher,et al.  Deficient cognitive control fuels children's exuberant false allegations. , 2014, Journal of experimental child psychology.

[3]  W. Frankenhuis,et al.  Does Early-Life Exposure to Stress Shape or Impair Cognition? , 2013 .

[4]  C. Brainerd.  Developmental Reversals in False Memory , 2013 .

[5]  G. Goodman,et al.  Adult eyewitness memory and compliance: effects of post-event misinformation on memory for a negative event. , 2013, Behavioral sciences & the law.

[6]  G. Goodman,et al.  Autobiographical memory specificity in child sexual abuse victims , 2013, Development and Psychopathology.

[7]  Robin S. Edelstein,et al.  Children's and adults' memory for emotional pictures: examining age-related patterns using the Developmental Affective Photo System. , 2013, Journal of experimental child psychology.

[8]  C. Peterson.  Children’s autobiographical memories across the years: forensic implications of childhood amnesia and eyewitness memory for stressful events , 2012 .

[9]  Martin H. Teicher,et al.  Childhood maltreatment is associated with reduced volume in the hippocampal subfields CA3, dentate gyrus, and subiculum , 2012, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

[10]  G. Goodman,et al.  Event memory and suggestibility in abused and neglected children: trauma-related psychopathology and cognitive functioning. , 2011, Journal of experimental child psychology.

[11]  D. Cicchetti,et al.  Can maltreated children inhibit true and false memories for emotional information? , 2011, Child development.

[12]  C. Kalish,et al.  The role of maltreatment experience in children's understanding of the antecedents of emotion , 2008 .

[13]  G. Goodman,et al.  Maltreated children's memory: accuracy, suggestibility, and psychopathology. , 2007, Developmental psychology.

[14]  S. Pollak,et al.  Physical abuse amplifies attention to threat and increases anxiety in children. , 2007, Emotion.

[15]  Jennifer M. Schaaf,et al.  Developmental differences in the effects of repeated interviews and interviewer bias on young children's event memory and false reports. , 2007, Developmental psychology.

[16]  A. Reiss,et al.  Stress Predicts Brain Changes in Children: A Pilot Longitudinal Study on Youth Stress, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and the Hippocampus , 2007, Pediatrics.

[17]  D. Cicchetti,et al.  Children's basic memory processes, stress, and maltreatment , 2006, Development and Psychopathology.

[18]  J. M. G. Williams,et al.  Capture and rumination, functional avoidance, and executive control (CaRFAX): Three processes that underlie overgeneral memory , 2006, Cognition & emotion.

[19]  Larry A. Tupler,et al.  Segmented Hippocampal Volume in Children and Adolescents with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder , 2006, Biological Psychiatry.

[20]  E. Glisky,et al.  A Longitudinal Study of Adolescents' Recollections of Family Violence , 2005 .

[21]  Robin S. Edelstein,et al.  Traumatic Impact Predicts Long-Term Memory for Documented Child Sexual Abuse , 2005, Psychological science.

[22]  Kerry Lee.  Age, neuropsychological, and social cognitive measures as predictors of individual differences in susceptibility to the misinformation effect , 2004 .

[23]  D. Cicchetti,et al.  True and false memories in maltreated children. , 2004, Child development.

[24]  S. Pollak,et al.  Emotion understanding in postinstitutionalized Eastern European children , 2004, Development and Psychopathology.

[25]  H. Resnick,et al.  Violence and risk of PTSD, major depression, substance abuse/dependence, and comorbidity: results from the National Survey of Adolescents. , 2003, Journal of consulting and clinical psychology.

[26]  Jennifer M. Schaaf,et al.  The role of attachment and cognitive inhibition in children's memory and suggestibility for a stressful event. , 2002, Journal of experimental child psychology.

[27]  J. Gorman,et al.  Finding a home for post-traumatic stress disorder in biological psychiatry. Is it a disorder of anxiety, mood, stress, or memory? , 2002, The Psychiatric clinics of North America.

[28]  M. D. De Bellis,et al.  Neuropsychological function in children with maltreatment-related posttraumatic stress disorder. , 2002, The American journal of psychiatry.

[29]  C. Classen,et al.  Revictimization and information processing in women survivors of childhood sexual abuse. , 2001, Journal of anxiety disorders.

[30]  E. Foa,et al.  The Child PTSD Symptom Scale: A Preliminary Examination of its Psychometric Properties , 2001, Journal of clinical child psychology.

[31]  G. Goodman,et al.  Effects of Past Abuse Experiences on Children's Eyewitness Memory , 2001, Law and human behavior.

[32]  T. Dalgleish,et al.  Memory bias for emotional information in children and adolescents with posttraumatic stress disorder: a preliminary study. , 2000, Journal of anxiety disorders.

[33]  J. Kihlstrom,et al.  False Memories in Women with Self-Reported Childhood Sexual Abuse: An Empirical Study , 2000, Psychological science.

[34]  G. Goodman,et al.  Innovations for child witnesses: A national survey. , 1999 .

[35]  G. Goodman,et al.  Children's Memory of a Naturalistic Event Following Misinformation , 1999 .

[36]  D. Cicchetti,et al.  Stress, memory, and emotion: Developmental considerations from the study of child maltreatment , 1998, Development and Psychopathology.

[37]  G. Bower,et al.  Cognitive impact of traumatic events , 1998, Development and Psychopathology.

[38]  G. Goodman,et al.  Children's Reactions to and Memory for a Stressful Event: Influences of Age, Anatomical Dolls, Knowledge, and Parental Attachment , 1997 .

[39]  R. Bronen,et al.  Magnetic resonance imaging-based measurement of hippocampal volume in posttraumatic stress disorder related to childhood physical and sexual abuse—a preliminary report , 1997, Biological Psychiatry.

[40]  Claudia M. Roebers,et al.  Developmental Patterns of Eyewitness Responses to Repeated and Increasingly Suggestive Questions , 1996 .

[41]  S. Ceci,et al.  The effects of stereotypes and suggestions on preschoolers' reports. , 1995 .

[42]  M. Bruck,et al.  Suggestibility of the child witness: a historical review and synthesis. , 1993, Psychological bulletin.

[43]  G. Goodman,et al.  Effects of Participation on Children's Reports: Implications for Children's Testimony. , 1991 .

[44]  G. S. Pettit,et al.  Mechanisms in the cycle of violence. , 1990, Science.

[45]  E. Foa,et al.  Post-traumatic stress disorder in sexually abused children. , 1988, Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.

[46]  N. J. Cohen,et al.  Is There a Special Flashbulb-Memory Mechanism? , 1988 .

[47]  G. Goodman,et al.  Age differences in eyewitness testimony , 1986 .

[48]  M. McCloskey,et al.  Misleading postevent information and memory for events: arguments and evidence against memory impairment hypotheses. , 1985, Journal of experimental psychology. General.

[49]  D. Cicchetti,et al.  Influence of violence and aggression on children’s psychological development: Trauma, attachment, and memory. , 2011 .

[50]  G. Goodman,et al.  Child maltreatment and memory. , 2010, Annual review of psychology.

[51]  Lars-Göran Öst,et al.  Attentional and memory bias for emotional information in crime victims with acute posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). , 2002, Journal of anxiety disorders.

[52]  D Finkelhor,et al.  Impact of child sexual abuse: a review of the research. , 1986, Psychological bulletin.