Child Witnesses

There is one problem with Carol Tavris’ column on child abuse (Commentary, April 11): It is one-sided. To the extent that she is correct that suggestion can influence what children say, it can do so in either direction. If a child can be induced to falsely claim that abuse occurred when it did not, then a child can also be induced to say that abuse did not occur when it did.

Research by psychologist Stephen Ceci demonstrates just that. When children were suggestively debriefed about a real event--an injection given by their doctor--they minimized the unpleasantness of the experience when the questions focused on pleasant aspects (receiving a toy or candy). There is often intense pressure on children who are abused to keep quiet about it. To the extent that suggestive influence endangers justice, it does so in either direction.

DAVID SPIEGEL MD

Professor of Psychiatry

& Behavioral Sciences, Stanford

University School of Medicine