Perceived credibility of child witness statements

Due to changes in legislation, children’s testimony can be presented differently from most adults’ testimony (Antrobus et al., 2016). In order to combat bias when making life-altering verdicts, research must be done to identify and improve perceptions of child credibility. The current research study attempts to answer the research question: what are the factors that influence the perceived credibility of witness statements given by children? The categories that will be further analyzed include child witness factors, perceiver factors, and the delivery method. The pragmatic worldview was held by the researcher during this study. This view is important to note, as it allowed freedom in choosing methods, techniques, and other aspects to benefit the study. The view is also noteworthy, as it draws from both qualitative and quantitative data (Creswell, 2014), which the researcher sought to answer the current research question.