Social and Scientific Influences on the Study of Children's Suggestibility: A Historical Perspective

Abstract

Modern research on children's suggestibility is largely designed to answer questions that arise when children become victim-witnesses in the legal system. However, this was not the case during earlier historical periods. In this article, the author expands previous discussions of the history of children's suggestibility research by examining the historical relation between societal beliefs and scientific inquiry about children's suggestibility, highlighting literature excluded from prior historical reviews of children's testimony. The author also considers the modern researcher in historical context.