What are some of the benefits of using anatomically detailed dolls in interviewing children?

Question

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Proponents of anatomically detailed dolls maintain that, when properly used, the dolls can facilitate and enhance interviews with children. Dolls can help in the following ways:

1. They help to establish rapport and reduce stress. Most children relate well to dolls. They can have a calming effect and make the interview room appear less formal and more child-oriented.
2. They reduce vocabulary problems. Interviewers can use the dolls to learn a child's sexual vocabulary before questioning the child about the alleged abuse.
3. They allow the child to show what may be difficult or embarrassing to say. Anatomical dolls can be a valuable aid to children who are not able or willing to verbalize what happened to them.
4. They can enhance the quality of information. Dolls may help interviewers get other information without resorting to leading or protracted questions to overcome the child's reluctance to describe sexual acts.
5. They can establish competency. Interviewers can use the dolls in a general way to demonstrate the child's mental capacity and ability to communicate.