15. Truth Induction In Young Maltreated Children: The Effects Of Oath-Taking And Reassurance On True And False Disclosures., Thomas D. Lyon, Joyce R. Dorado
Dec 2007
15. Truth Induction In Young Maltreated Children: The Effects Of Oath-Taking And Reassurance On True And False Disclosures., Thomas D. Lyon, Joyce R. Dorado
Thomas D. Lyon
Objective: Two studies examined the effects of the oath or reassurance (“truth induction”) on 5- to 7-year-old maltreated children’s true and false reports of a minor transgression.
Methods: In both studies an interviewer elicited a promise to tell the truth, reassured children that they would not get in trouble for disclosing the transgression, or gave no instructions before questioning the child. In Study 1, children were encouraged to play with an attractive toy by a confederate, who then informed them that they might get in trouble for playing. In Study 2, a confederate engaged children in play, but did not …
14. Filial Dependency And Recantation Of Child Sexual Abuse Allegations., Lindsay C. Malloy, Thomas D. Lyon, Jodi A. Quas
Apr 2007
14. Filial Dependency And Recantation Of Child Sexual Abuse Allegations., Lindsay C. Malloy, Thomas D. Lyon, Jodi A. Quas
Thomas D. Lyon
Objective: Controversy abounds regarding the process by which child sexual abuse victims disclose their experiences, particularly the extent to which and the reasons why some children, once having disclosed abuse, later recant their allegations. This study examined the prevalence and predictors of recantation among 2- to 17-year-old child sexual abuse victims. Method: Case files (n = 257) were randomly selected from all substantiated cases resulting in a dependency court filing in a large urban county between 1999 and 2000. Recantation (i.e., denial of abuse postdisclosure) was scored across formal and informal interviews. Cases were also coded for characteristics of the …
13. From Post-Mortem To Preventive Medicine: Next Steps For Research On Child Witnesses., Thomas D. Lyon, Karen J. Saywitz
Mar 2006
13. From Post-Mortem To Preventive Medicine: Next Steps For Research On Child Witnesses., Thomas D. Lyon, Karen J. Saywitz
Thomas D. Lyon
We propose five directions for future child witness research, inspired by recognition of the day-to-day realities of the legal system and the opportunities of psychology to react proactively to challenges child witnesses face. These directions include (1) the refinement of developmentally sensitive questioning aids that increase completeness without increasing suggestibility, (2) the development of approaches to non-disclosure and recantation, including understanding of the reasons underlying non-disclosure and the potential for building rapport and increasing trust, (3) the construction of interventions that meet mental health needs of child-victim witnesses without creating false memories or tainting testimony, (4) a focus on details …
12. Caregiver Support And Child Sexual Abuse: Why Does It Matter?, Lindsay C. Malloy, Thomas D. Lyon
Feb 2006
12. Caregiver Support And Child Sexual Abuse: Why Does It Matter?, Lindsay C. Malloy, Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
Coohey’s paper is a valuable investigation of the substantiation of mothers for failure to protect their children from child sexual abuse (CSA). Drawing on concerns regarding the possible inconsistency of decisions to substantiate, the author sought to determine the factors relied on by CPS investigators in the decision-making process. Multivariate analyses revealed the importance of maternal reactions to abuse, including whether the mother believed the child’s allegations and whether she acted in a protective or supportive manner. We will put Coohey’s findings in the context of other research that has documented the importance of nonoffending caregivers’ reactions to sexual abuse. …
11. Report Of The Apsac Task Force On Attachment Therapy, Reactive Attachment Disorder, And Attachment Problems., Mark Chaffin, Rochelle Hanson, Benjamin E. Saunders, Todd Nichols, Douglas Barnett, Charles Zeanah, Lucy Berliner, Byron Egeland, Elana Newman, Thomas D. Lyon, Elizabeth Letourneau, Cindy Miller-Perrin
Jan 2006
11. Report Of The Apsac Task Force On Attachment Therapy, Reactive Attachment Disorder, And Attachment Problems., Mark Chaffin, Rochelle Hanson, Benjamin E. Saunders, Todd Nichols, Douglas Barnett, Charles Zeanah, Lucy Berliner, Byron Egeland, Elana Newman, Thomas D. Lyon, Elizabeth Letourneau, Cindy Miller-Perrin
Thomas D. Lyon
Although the term attachment disorder is ambiguous, attachment therapies are increasingly used with children who are maltreated, particularly those in foster care or adoptive homes. Some children described as having attachment disorders show extreme disturbances. The needs of these children and their caretakers are real. How to meet their needs is less clear. A number of attachment-based treatment and parenting approaches purport to help children described as attachment disordered. Attachment therapy is a young and diverse field, and the benefits and risks of many treatments remain scientifically undetermined. Controversies have arisen about potentially harmful attachment therapy techniques used by a …
9. The Problem Of Child Sexual Abuse: Response., Jennifer J. Freyd, Frank W. Putnam, Thomas D. Lyon, Kathryn A. Becker-Blease, Ross E. Cheit, Nancy B. Siegel, Kathy Pezdek
Nov 2005
9. The Problem Of Child Sexual Abuse: Response., Jennifer J. Freyd, Frank W. Putnam, Thomas D. Lyon, Kathryn A. Becker-Blease, Ross E. Cheit, Nancy B. Siegel, Kathy Pezdek
Thomas D. Lyon
THE POLICY FORUM “THE SCIENCE OF CHILD sexual abuse” by J. J. Freyd et al. (22 Apr., p. 501) provides an extremely important call to action to the scientific community. In 1999, James Mercy, Senior Scientist at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, noted the importance of viewing child sexual abuse with “new eyes” (1). The implementation of Freyd et al.’s policy recommendations would help us to do this. For too long, the fact that the topic makes us uneasy has caused too many of us to avert our eyes. But what if child sexual abuse were a …
10. Development Of Temporal-Reconstructive Abilities., William J. Friedman, Thomas D. Lyon
Nov 2005
10. Development Of Temporal-Reconstructive Abilities., William J. Friedman, Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
In a study of the ability to reconstruct the times of past events, 86 children from 4 to 13 years recalled the times of 2 in-class demonstrations that had occurred 3 months earlier and judged the times of hypothetical events. Many of the abilities needed to reconstruct the times of events were present by 6 years, including the capacity to interpret many temporally relevant cues, but there were substantial changes well into middle childhood in the availability of temporally useful episodic information. Children were poor at remembering the events’ proximity or order with respect to a major holiday, but the …
8. The Science Of Child Sexual Abuse., Jennifer J. Freyd, Frank W. Putnam, Thomas D. Lyon, Kathryn A. Becker-Blease, Ross E. Cheit, Nancy B. Siegel, Kathy Pezdek
Oct 2005
8. The Science Of Child Sexual Abuse., Jennifer J. Freyd, Frank W. Putnam, Thomas D. Lyon, Kathryn A. Becker-Blease, Ross E. Cheit, Nancy B. Siegel, Kathy Pezdek
Thomas D. Lyon
Child sexual abuse (CSA) involving sexual contact between an adult (usually male) and a child has been reported by 20% of women and 5 to 10% of men worldwide (1–3). Surveys likely underestimate prevalence because of underreporting and memory failure (4–6). Although official reports have declined somewhat in the United States over the past decade (7), close to 90% of sexual abuse cases are never reported to the authorities (8).
7. Why Child Maltreatment Researchers Should Include Children’S Disability Status In Their Maltreatment Studies., Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, Thomas D. Lyon, Greg Taliaferro
Aug 2005
7. Why Child Maltreatment Researchers Should Include Children’S Disability Status In Their Maltreatment Studies., Kathleen Kendall-Tackett, Thomas D. Lyon, Greg Taliaferro
Thomas D. Lyon
Approximately8%of children in the US have disabilities (US Census Bureau, 2002), and these children are more likely to be abused or neglected than their non-disabled peers. The studies that have identified this vulnerability have varied in methodology and sample, and yet the findings have been remarkably consistent. But much work still needs to be done to know the magnitude of the problem, and what professionals can do to help. We are writing to encourage researchers in the child maltreatment field to include children’s disability status in their studies of abuse and neglect. Below is a summary of what …
6. Reducing Maltreated Children’S Reluctance To Answer Hypothetical Oath-Taking Competency Questions., Thomas D. Lyon, Karen J. Saywitz, Debra Kaplan, Joyce S. Dorado
Dec 2000
6. Reducing Maltreated Children’S Reluctance To Answer Hypothetical Oath-Taking Competency Questions., Thomas D. Lyon, Karen J. Saywitz, Debra Kaplan, Joyce S. Dorado
Thomas D. Lyon
Before allowing child witnesses to testify, courts routinely require children to describe what would happen to them if they lied. However, young children often refuse to reason hypothetically if they view the premises as implausible or undesirable, and might be more willing to discuss the consequences of lying if they are asked about another child rather than themselves. On the other hand, children might view themselves as invulnerable to punishment, and therefore believe that whereas other children will be punished for lying, they will not be. In this study, 64 maltreated 5- and 6-year-old children were asked to describe the …
5. Young Maltreated Children’S Competence To Take The Oath., Thomas D. Lyon, Karen J. Saywitz
Dec 1998
5. Young Maltreated Children’S Competence To Take The Oath., Thomas D. Lyon, Karen J. Saywitz
Thomas D. Lyon
Two studies examined I92 maltreated young children's competence to take the oath. Study I found that despite serious delays in receptive vocabulary, a majority of 5-year-olds correctly identified truthful statements and lies as such and recognized that lying is bad and would make authority figures mad. However, most participants up to 7 years of age could not define "truth" and "lie" or explain the difference between the terms. Four-year-olds were above chance in recognizing the immorality of lying but exhibited a tendency to identify all statements as the "truth. " Study 2 found that 4- and 5-year-olds performed above chance …
4. Reasoning About Moral Aspects Of Illness And Treatment By Preschoolers Who Are Healthy Or Have A Chronic Illness., Pamela M. Kato, Thomas D. Lyon
Dec 1997
4. Reasoning About Moral Aspects Of Illness And Treatment By Preschoolers Who Are Healthy Or Have A Chronic Illness., Pamela M. Kato, Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
Our study evaluates the moral reasoning skills of healthy and chronically ill 3 and 4 year olds with respect to illness and treatment, by use of an interview technique that reduces verbal demands on the child, We presented children with pairs of scenarios comparing ill characters with characters acting immorally and characters being punished, as well as with pairs of scenarios comparing treated characters with characters acting immorally and characters being punished. We asked children to point to the character who did something "naughty." With the exception of the chronically ill 3 year olds, the children performed consistently above chance …
3. False Allegations And False Denials In Child Sexual Abuse., Thomas D. Lyon
Jan 1995
3. False Allegations And False Denials In Child Sexual Abuse., Thomas D. Lyon
Thomas D. Lyon
The amicus brief in the Kelly Michaels case ignores the risks that abused children will fail to reveal abuse unless direct and sometimes leading questions are asked. Although the brief correctly criticizes previous research for understating the risks that aggressive interviewing practices will lead young children to make false allegations of abuse, it overstates the likelihood that false allegations occur by overlooking the aspects of the Kelly Michaels case and the research it inspired that are unlike the typical abuse case. The author discusses factors that lead abused children to falsely deny abuse and that minimize the likelihood that nonabused …
2. Young Children's Understanding Of "Remember" And "Forget.", Thomas D. Lyon, John H. Flavell
Jan 1994
2. Young Children's Understanding Of "Remember" And "Forget.", Thomas D. Lyon, John H. Flavell
Thomas D. Lyon
LYON, THOMAS D., and FLAVELL, JOHN H. YOUNG Children's Understanding of "Remember" and "Forget." CHILD DEVELOPMENT, 1994, 65, 1357-1371.3 studies examined young children's understanding that if one "remembers" or "forgot," one must have known at a prior time. In Study 1,4-year-olds but not 3-year-olds understood the prior knowledge component of "forgot"; both groups understood that a character with prior knowledge was "gonna remember." Study 2 controlled for the possibility that good performance on "remember" might be due to a simple association of remembering with knowledge. A significant number of 4-year-olds but not 3-year olds understood that when 2 characters currently …
1. Young Children's Understanding Of Forgetting Over Time., Thomas D. Lyon, John H. Flavell
May 1993
1. Young Children's Understanding Of Forgetting Over Time., Thomas D. Lyon, John H. Flavell
Thomas D. Lyon
2 studies investigated young children's understanding that as the retention interval increases, so do the chances that one will forget. In Study 1 (24 3-year-olds and 24 4-year-olds), 4-year-olds but not 3-year-olds understood that of 2 characters who simultaneously saw an object, the character who waited longer before attempting to find it would not remember where it was. In study 2 (24 3-year-olds and 24 4-year-olds), 4-year-olds but not 3-year-olds understood that of 2 objects seen by a character, the object that was seen a "long long time ago" would be forgotten and the object seen "a little while ago" …
