Handbook on Child Witnesses

“This is a state-of-the-art review on children’s eyewitness memory and child forensic interviews that is dedicated Dr. Karen J. Saywitz, who devoted her entire career to scientific research in this area and to advocacy for children. I have no doubt that both researchers and practitioners in the fields of developmental, clinical, and forensic psychology will benefit from reading this holistic overview.” - Yoojin Chae, PhD, Department of Human Development & Family Sciences, Texas Tech University, Lubbock, TX

“Judges, lawyers, social workers—indeed, all legal professionals—risk contributing to injustice when they rely on intuition or untested assumptions in their work. In the field of child abuse, this handbook offers a vital corrective. Authored by leading experts on children and the law, it presents the most updated, comprehensive synthesis of foundational and applied research, making it essential reading for any legal professional who is committed to advancing justice.” - Donna Shestowsky, JD, PhD, Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Martin Luther King Jr. Professor of Law, University of California, Davis, School of Law

Gail S. Goodman, PhD, is distinguished professor of psychology, emerita at the University of California, Davis. Dr. Goodman received many national and international awards and grants for her writings and research on child witnesses. Her research is cited pivotally in U.S. Supreme Court decisions concerning child witnesses and courtroom testimony. She obtained her doctoral degree in psychology from UCLA. She published for many years with Dr. Karen J. Saywitz, and they were very close friends. Dr. Goodman and Dr. Saywitz are often credited with starting the modern scientific study of children’s eyewitness memory and children in the legal context.

Thomas D. Lyon, JD, PhD, is the Judge Edward J. and Ruey L. Guirado chair in law and psychology at the University of Southern California Gould School of Law. After graduating from Harvard Law School, he worked as an attorney for the Children’s Services Division of the Los Angeles County Counsel. He obtained a PhD in developmental psychology from Stanford University, and was a post-doctoral researcher with Karen Saywitz, PhD at UCLA. His work has been funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Development, the National Science Foundation, and the Department of Justice.

Sue D. Hobbs, PhD, is professor of child and adolescent development and chair of undergraduate studies in education in the College of Education at California State University, Sacramento. Dr. Hobbs received her doctoral degree in developmental psychology from the University of California, Davis. She received the Karen Saywitz Early Career Award for Outstanding Contributions to Research and Practice from the American Psychological Association Division 37. Her research and peer-reviewed publications focus on children’s eyewitness memory, forensic interviewing techniques, and the experiences of foster youth in the legal system.

Rayna Enriquez, PhD, works at the National Institute of Justice and holds a doctoral degree in developmental psychology from the University of California, Davis. Dr. Enriquez obtained her bachelor’s degree in psychology with a specialization in Law, Forensics, and Criminality from the University of Southern California. As part of her training, she served as a researcher of forensic interviewing techniques for children in court actions. She specializes in eyewitness memory and perceptions of children with developmental disorders, as well as in true and false memory in adults.