Interrogative suggestibility in children and its relationship with memory and vocabulary

The Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale was administered to 160 children, 6, 8, 10 and 12 years old with 20 girls and 20 boys in each age group along with a brief version of the Vocabulary subtest of the WISC. Total suggestibility and yield suggestibility descreased with age and children were found to have higher interrogative suggestibility scores than adults. As with adults, memory showed a negative correlation with total suggestibility and shift for 8, 10 and 12 year olds, and with yield for 10 and 12 year olds. No such correlation was significant for 6 year olds. There was a negative correlation between vocabulary and yield and total suggestibility of 12 year olds. These results are in line with earlier findings of suggestibility in adults.