Yates A
Am J Psychiatry. 1987 Apr;144(4):476-80. doi: 10.1176/ajp.144.4.476.
Children as young as age 3 are testifying in cases of sexual abuse and molestation. Very young children can accurately recall emotionally charged, personally significant events. They demonstrate more errors of omission, difficulties with time and number of concepts, and occasional misinterpretations of others' actions. Children's testimony can be influenced by an overly authoritative or ingratiating attorney stance, an attorney's preconceived notions, age-inappropriate questions, and the child's limited attention span. Children may be helped or harmed by testifying. The risk of further traumatization can be minimized through the judge's use of discretionary power, inclusion of professionals trained in child development in the investigative and court process, and use of videotaping or one-way screens.
年仅3岁的儿童在性虐待和性骚扰案件中出庭作证。非常年幼的儿童能够准确回忆起充满情感、对个人意义重大的事件。他们表现出更多的遗漏错误、在时间和数字概念方面存在困难，以及偶尔对他人行为的误解。儿童的证词可能会受到律师过于权威或讨好的态度、律师的先入之见、不适合其年龄的问题以及儿童有限的注意力持续时间的影响。作证可能对儿童有帮助，也可能造成伤害。通过法官行使自由裁量权、在调查和法庭程序中纳入受过儿童发展培训的专业人员，以及使用录像或单向屏幕，可以将进一步受创伤的风险降至最低。
