The Effect of a 10-month Delay on Autobiographical Memory and Suggestibility in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Date
2022
Authors
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Toledo
Abstract
To date, evidence-based guidelines for interviewing children with Autism Spectrum
Disorder (ASD) do not exist. Several different evidence-based interview protocols exist
worldwide, but these were empirically derived based research with typically developing
(TD) children. The present investigation is a follow-up study to an initial study that
compared event memory and suggestibility among TD and ASD children. In the original
study, 68 control (i.e., TD) and 30 ASD children participated in a three-session study. In
session 1, children individually participated in an interactive magic show. Approximately
1-week later, in Session 2, children were given true reminders and false suggestions
about the magic show. About 4-days later, in Session 3, children were given an initial
memory test (i.e., two-weeks after the staged event). In the current follow-up study, we
sought to examine whether autobiographical reports among ASD children differed from
control children following a 10-month delay. Approximately 10-months after the staged
event, we located and retested 41 control and 22 ASD children. In addition to retaking the
initial memory test, children were given a lineup identification and object recognition
task. The results revealed both ASD and control children’s free recall was at the floor at
the 10-month delay. Compared to control children, more ASD children recalled no
details about the magic show in the 10-month than the two-week delay interview. Control
children recalled more correct utterances than ASD children regardless of the delay
period. Children’s recognition memory also worsened with the 10-month delay. Both
groups showed memory facilitation effects at both the two-week and 10-month delayed interviews. Both groups showed memory misinformation effects at the two-week
interview. At the 10-month interview, control children showed misinformation effects. In
children with ASD, their false assent rate to non-suggested items was equally high as
their false assent rate to suggested items. Similar patterns were found among control and
ASD children in their performance on the lineup identification and object recognition
tasks. In addition to the theoretical contribution, these results are important to
professionals who interview ASD children by further understanding autobiographical
memory in this vulnerable population. These results can be used to develop evidence based guidelines for interviewing children with ASD and to guide early intervention
programs.
Description
item.page.type
Article
item.page.format
Keywords
forensic interview, autism spectrum disorder, memory, suggestibility, research
Citation
Todorovic, K. (2022). The Effect of a 10-month Delay on Autobiographical Memory and Suggestibility in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (Doctoral dissertation, University of Toledo).