Testifying about a visual event: Is the cognitive interview still effective with very young children from low SES backgrounds?

The main aim of this study was to investigate whether the socio-economic status (SES) of preschool children has an impact on the effectiveness of the cognitive interview. Seventy-five children aged five to six, from low-SES or high-SES backgrounds, attended a magic show. Three to four days later they were interviewed using a standard interview or a cognitive interview. The results showed that children from low SES backgrounds generally produced more incorrect details than children from higher SES backgrounds. Furthermore, a benefit of the cognitive interview was that it gathered more accurate information, whatever the SES background of the child. This benefit is observed especially in the free recall phase. These results are discussed in terms of their theoretical and practical implications.