Children's suggestibility is influenced by several factors such as memory, age or social desirability. The main objective of this study was to analyze how these factors are associated with the degree of suggestibility in 5/6 year-old, 8/9 year-old and 10/11 year-old children. For a suggestibility measure, a new scale based on the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale was developed (GSS; Gudjonsson, 1997). Results showed that: younger children are more suggestible than older children; a higher degree of social desirability is associated with stronger suggestibility responses; and a smaller memory span is related to greater children's suggestibility. Conclusions highlight that memory and social desirability should be analyzed carefully when eyewitness accounts of children are considered.
Children's suggestibility; memory; social desirability; child witness