Stacia N Stolzenberg
Biographic Data
| ID | 4126429 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Stacia N Stolzenberg |
| GIVEN NAMES | Stacia N |
| FAMILY NAME | Stolzenberg |
| SIGNATURE | STOLZENBERG S N |
| AFFILIATIONS | Arizona State University |
| ORCID | 0000-0001-8082-631X |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 17 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 6 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 17 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 1 |
The Potential Ambiguity of Negative Questions in Children's Testimony
This study assessed the potential ambiguity of child witnesses' responses to different types of negative questions. We coded the testimony of 134 5‐ to 17‐year‐olds for five types of questions that included negative terms ( N = 3542), including negative declarative questions (e.g., “You weren't scared?”), three subtypes of tag questions (e.g., “You weren't scared, right?”), and high negatives (e.g., “Weren't you scared?”). With the exception of h…
Questioning child and adolescent sex abuse victims at trial: A gender-based investigation
Distracting and Disruptive: ’ Why Nearly 40% of Forensic Interviewers Do Not Take Notes During Investigations of Suspected Child Maltreatment
The purpose of this study was to understand how often forensic interviewers take notes during investigations of suspected child maltreatment, what kinds of notes they take and why some interviewers choose not to take notes. One hundred and thirty‐one U.S. forensic interviewers were surveyed. Sixty‐one percent of forensic interviewers reported taking notes during interviews. For those who took notes, they did so for follow up later during the inte…
Is it hard to remember?” attorneys’ questions about children’s memory in child sexual abuse trials
Exploring how attorneys address grooming in criminal trials of child sexual abuse
Grooming is a common tactic among perpetrators of child sexual abuse (CSA). It is important that grooming is addressed in court to explain the unintuitive ways a child may act when they have been victims of abuse. The present study draws upon 134 transcripts of CSA criminal trials to establish how attorneys talk about grooming in court. Only 1.8% of attorney's questions addressed grooming behaviors. The majority of these focusing on exposure to p…
A preference for the proximate occurrence: Adults’ relative temporal judgments and interpretations of children’s judgments
How Do Researchers Question Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Assessment of Developmental Research Methods
Both the kinds of exchanges and the context under which children are questioned may affect the quality of data. Yet, little is known about how developmental scientists communicate with children for research. Using manifest content analysis, the 3,119 manuscripts published in the top 20 developmental outlets in 2018 were coded for methodology, examining whether researchers communicated directly with children, how they did so, and how they contextu…
Children's underextended understanding of touch
Children’s accuracy in answering Why and How Come questions
Children’s developing understanding of language may influence their ability to accurately respond to questions inquiring about their event knowledge (i.e., Why and How Come questions), potentially creating misinterpretations in adult–child communication. The present study examined 120 5-, 7-, and 9-year-old’s accuracy in responding to Why and How Come questions about the cause of their behaviors. Children’s accuracy improved with age, highlightin…
Don’t know responding in young maltreated children: The effects of wh- questions type and enhanced interview instructions
OBJECTIVE: Two studies examined 4-7-year-old maltreated children's "I don't know" (IDK) responses to wh- questions after receiving various interview instructions. HYPOTHESES: We predicted (H1) children would be less inclined to give IDK responses and more inclined to guess to color/number questions compared to other wh- questions; (H2) IDK instructions would increase children's IDK responding compared to no instructions, with an increase in accur…
Understanding expert testimony on child sexual abuse denial after New Jersey v. J.L.G: Ground truth, disclosure suspicion bias, and disclosure substantiation bias
The New Jersey Supreme Court held in New Jersey v. J.L.G . (2018) that experts can no longer explain to juries why sexually abused children might deny abuse. The court was influenced by expert testimony that “methodologically superior” studies find lower rates of denial. Examining the studies in detail, we argue that the expert testimony was flawed due to three problems with using child disclosure studies to estimate the likelihood that abused ch…
“Did You Ever Fight Back?” Jurors’ Questions to Children Testifying in Criminal Trials About Alleged Sexual Abuse
The current study examined jurors’ questions to children in criminal trials assessing children’s allegations of sexual abuse, demonstrating a new avenue for studying how jurors think about, respond to, and assess evidence. We used qualitative content analysis to examine jurors’ questions to 134, 5- to 17-year-olds alleging sexual abuse in criminal trial testimonies. Five themes emerged: abuse interactions, contextual details of abuse, children’s …
Burnout and secondary trauma among forensic interviewers
Child Advocacy Centers provide a child-friendly environment for the forensic interview and subsequent investigation of child victimization cases. However, very little research has examined the effects of burnout, secondary trauma and organizational stressors on forensic interviewers. The present study examined the following research questions. To what extent do forensic interviewers experience burnout and secondary trauma associated with their pr…
Children’s conversational memory regarding a minor transgression and a subsequent interview
Children’s memories for their conversations are commonly explored in child abuse cases. In two studies, we examined conversational recall in 154 4- to 9-year-old children’s reports of an interaction with a stranger, some of whom were complicit in a transgression and were admonished to keep it a secret. Immediately afterwards, all children were interviewed about their interaction. One week later, children were asked recall questions about their in…
Pragmatic failure and referential ambiguity when attorneys ask child witnesses “do you know/remember” questions
Do you know" and "Do you remember" (DYK/R) questions explicitly ask whether one knows or remembers some information while implicitly asking for that information. This study examined how 104 4- to 9-year-old children testifying in child sexual abuse cases responded to DYK/R wh- and yes/no questions. When asked DYK/R questions containing an implicit wh- question requesting information, children often provided unelaborated "Yes" responses. Attorneys…
Challenging the credibility of alleged victims of child sexual abuse in Scottish courts
This study examined the effects of credibility-challenging questions ( n = 2,729) on 62 5- to 17-year-olds' testimony in child sexual abuse cases in Scotland by categorizing the type, source, and content of the credibility-challenging questions defense lawyers asked and assessing how children responded. Credibility-challenging questions comprised 14.9% of all questions asked during cross-examination. Of defense lawyers' credibility-challenging qu…
How attorneys question children about the dynamics of sexual abuse and disclosure in criminal trials
72, 6 -16 years of age) about their prior conversations, both with suspects and with disclosure recipients. Prosecutors' questions were more open-ended than defense attorneys, but most questions asked by either attorney were yes/no questions, and children tended to provide unelaborated responses. Prosecutors were more inclined to ask about children's prior conversations with suspects than defense attorneys, but focused on the immediate abuse rath…
How attorneys question children about the dynamics of sexual abuse and disclosure in criminal trials
72, 6 -16 years of age) about their prior conversations, both with suspects and with disclosure recipients. Prosecutors' questions were more open-ended than defense attorneys, but most questions asked by either attorney were yes/no questions, and children tended to provide unelaborated responses. Prosecutors were more inclined to ask about children's prior conversations with suspects than defense attorneys, but focused on the immediate abuse rath…
Burnout and secondary trauma among forensic interviewers
Child Advocacy Centers provide a child-friendly environment for the forensic interview and subsequent investigation of child victimization cases. However, very little research has examined the effects of burnout, secondary trauma and organizational stressors on forensic interviewers. The present study examined the following research questions. To what extent do forensic interviewers experience burnout and secondary trauma associated with their pr…
Pragmatic failure and referential ambiguity when attorneys ask child witnesses “do you know/remember” questions
Do you know" and "Do you remember" (DYK/R) questions explicitly ask whether one knows or remembers some information while implicitly asking for that information. This study examined how 104 4- to 9-year-old children testifying in child sexual abuse cases responded to DYK/R wh- and yes/no questions. When asked DYK/R questions containing an implicit wh- question requesting information, children often provided unelaborated "Yes" responses. Attorneys…
Challenging the credibility of alleged victims of child sexual abuse in Scottish courts
This study examined the effects of credibility-challenging questions ( n = 2,729) on 62 5- to 17-year-olds' testimony in child sexual abuse cases in Scotland by categorizing the type, source, and content of the credibility-challenging questions defense lawyers asked and assessing how children responded. Credibility-challenging questions comprised 14.9% of all questions asked during cross-examination. Of defense lawyers' credibility-challenging qu…
How attorneys question children about the dynamics of sexual abuse and disclosure in criminal trials
72, 6 -16 years of age) about their prior conversations, both with suspects and with disclosure recipients. Prosecutors' questions were more open-ended than defense attorneys, but most questions asked by either attorney were yes/no questions, and children tended to provide unelaborated responses. Prosecutors were more inclined to ask about children's prior conversations with suspects than defense attorneys, but focused on the immediate abuse rath…
Pragmatic failure and referential ambiguity when attorneys ask child witnesses “do you know/remember” questions
Do you know" and "Do you remember" (DYK/R) questions explicitly ask whether one knows or remembers some information while implicitly asking for that information. This study examined how 104 4- to 9-year-old children testifying in child sexual abuse cases responded to DYK/R wh- and yes/no questions. When asked DYK/R questions containing an implicit wh- question requesting information, children often provided unelaborated "Yes" responses. Attorneys…
Challenging the credibility of alleged victims of child sexual abuse in Scottish courts
This study examined the effects of credibility-challenging questions ( n = 2,729) on 62 5- to 17-year-olds' testimony in child sexual abuse cases in Scotland by categorizing the type, source, and content of the credibility-challenging questions defense lawyers asked and assessing how children responded. Credibility-challenging questions comprised 14.9% of all questions asked during cross-examination. Of defense lawyers' credibility-challenging qu…
Children’s conversational memory regarding a minor transgression and a subsequent interview
Children’s memories for their conversations are commonly explored in child abuse cases. In two studies, we examined conversational recall in 154 4- to 9-year-old children’s reports of an interaction with a stranger, some of whom were complicit in a transgression and were admonished to keep it a secret. Immediately afterwards, all children were interviewed about their interaction. One week later, children were asked recall questions about their in…
Understanding expert testimony on child sexual abuse denial after New Jersey v. J.L.G: Ground truth, disclosure suspicion bias, and disclosure substantiation bias
The New Jersey Supreme Court held in New Jersey v. J.L.G . (2018) that experts can no longer explain to juries why sexually abused children might deny abuse. The court was influenced by expert testimony that “methodologically superior” studies find lower rates of denial. Examining the studies in detail, we argue that the expert testimony was flawed due to three problems with using child disclosure studies to estimate the likelihood that abused ch…
“Did You Ever Fight Back?” Jurors’ Questions to Children Testifying in Criminal Trials About Alleged Sexual Abuse
The current study examined jurors’ questions to children in criminal trials assessing children’s allegations of sexual abuse, demonstrating a new avenue for studying how jurors think about, respond to, and assess evidence. We used qualitative content analysis to examine jurors’ questions to 134, 5- to 17-year-olds alleging sexual abuse in criminal trial testimonies. Five themes emerged: abuse interactions, contextual details of abuse, children’s …
Burnout and secondary trauma among forensic interviewers
Child Advocacy Centers provide a child-friendly environment for the forensic interview and subsequent investigation of child victimization cases. However, very little research has examined the effects of burnout, secondary trauma and organizational stressors on forensic interviewers. The present study examined the following research questions. To what extent do forensic interviewers experience burnout and secondary trauma associated with their pr…
Children’s accuracy in answering Why and How Come questions
Children’s developing understanding of language may influence their ability to accurately respond to questions inquiring about their event knowledge (i.e., Why and How Come questions), potentially creating misinterpretations in adult–child communication. The present study examined 120 5-, 7-, and 9-year-old’s accuracy in responding to Why and How Come questions about the cause of their behaviors. Children’s accuracy improved with age, highlightin…
Don’t know responding in young maltreated children: The effects of wh- questions type and enhanced interview instructions
OBJECTIVE: Two studies examined 4-7-year-old maltreated children's "I don't know" (IDK) responses to wh- questions after receiving various interview instructions. HYPOTHESES: We predicted (H1) children would be less inclined to give IDK responses and more inclined to guess to color/number questions compared to other wh- questions; (H2) IDK instructions would increase children's IDK responding compared to no instructions, with an increase in accur…
How Do Researchers Question Children and Adolescents? A Systematic Assessment of Developmental Research Methods
Both the kinds of exchanges and the context under which children are questioned may affect the quality of data. Yet, little is known about how developmental scientists communicate with children for research. Using manifest content analysis, the 3,119 manuscripts published in the top 20 developmental outlets in 2018 were coded for methodology, examining whether researchers communicated directly with children, how they did so, and how they contextu…
Children's underextended understanding of touch
Exploring how attorneys address grooming in criminal trials of child sexual abuse
Grooming is a common tactic among perpetrators of child sexual abuse (CSA). It is important that grooming is addressed in court to explain the unintuitive ways a child may act when they have been victims of abuse. The present study draws upon 134 transcripts of CSA criminal trials to establish how attorneys talk about grooming in court. Only 1.8% of attorney's questions addressed grooming behaviors. The majority of these focusing on exposure to p…
A preference for the proximate occurrence: Adults’ relative temporal judgments and interpretations of children’s judgments
Distracting and Disruptive: ’ Why Nearly 40% of Forensic Interviewers Do Not Take Notes During Investigations of Suspected Child Maltreatment
The purpose of this study was to understand how often forensic interviewers take notes during investigations of suspected child maltreatment, what kinds of notes they take and why some interviewers choose not to take notes. One hundred and thirty‐one U.S. forensic interviewers were surveyed. Sixty‐one percent of forensic interviewers reported taking notes during interviews. For those who took notes, they did so for follow up later during the inte…
Is it hard to remember?” attorneys’ questions about children’s memory in child sexual abuse trials
The Potential Ambiguity of Negative Questions in Children's Testimony
This study assessed the potential ambiguity of child witnesses' responses to different types of negative questions. We coded the testimony of 134 5‐ to 17‐year‐olds for five types of questions that included negative terms ( N = 3542), including negative declarative questions (e.g., “You weren't scared?”), three subtypes of tag questions (e.g., “You weren't scared, right?”), and high negatives (e.g., “Weren't you scared?”). With the exception of h…
Questioning child and adolescent sex abuse victims at trial: A gender-based investigation
Psychology (14 works) · Child Abuse and Trauma (8 works) · Medicine (8 works) · Poison control (8 works) · Child sexual abuse (7 works) · Memory Processes and Influences (7 works) · Sexual abuse (7 works) · Social Psychology (7 works) · Child abuse (6 works) · Deception detection and forensic psychology (6 works)