The vulnerability of adolescent boys to interrogative pressure: An experimental study

Abstract

This study investigates the interrogative suggestibility of 40 adolescent boys and replicates that of Gudjonsson and Singh (1984). Gudjonsson and Singh, testing 31 delinquent adolescent boys, found that they were no more suggestible than normal adults until their answers were subjected to interrogative pressure. Then they became significantly more suggestible. The present study utilized a sample of adolescent boys who had no criminal convictions. The results were identical to those found by Gudjonsson and Singh (1984). The implication is that even though adolescent boys are generally no more suggestible than adults, they are specially vulnerable to giving erroneous accounts during interrogation in that they give in readily to interrogative pressure, which may take the form of repeated questioning or outward criticism of their previous answers.