After being presented a story, 43 children, age 5 - 7 years, were interviewed six months later to assess the correctness of the recall. Some were first taken to the scene for reminders; others were shown props from the story before the interview to provide context. They were also compared with children who were interviewed, never having earlier learned of the event.
Implications: Both exposures to related props (context) and exposure to story setting (reminder) enhance children's accuracy in recounting later detail. Free recall is noticeable more likely to provide more correct information after contextual cues. Do these techniques increase errors as well?
Priestley, G., Roberts, S., & Pipe, M. (1999). Returning to the scene: reminders and context reinstatement enhance children's recall. Developmental Psychology, Vol. 35, No. 4, 1006-1019.
