Effects of child interview method on accuracy and completeness of sexual abuse information recall

To determine if there were differences between using anatomically correct dolls, drawings, or verbal descriptions in the accuracy and completeness of information, 45 girls aged 9 to 10 were studied. The children were shown a 12-minute videotape designed to provide information on sexual abuse and its prevention. Participants were interviewed individually and requested to tell everything they remembered about the videotape using 1 of the 3 methods. Results indicated that the children in the group using either dolls or drawings obtained higher scores, but the differences between groups were not statistically significant.