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Concept information

... > process > planned process > study method > study method of memory > objective study method of memory > interview > investigative interview > NICHD protocol

Preferred term

NICHD protocol  

Definition(s)

  • A structured interview protocol to guide the investigator for interviewing children in a forensic context, particularly in the case of sexual abuse allegations. It relies primarily on the use of open-ended questions. A revised version of the protocol emphasizes socioemotional communication.

Broader concept(s)

Related concept(s)

Synonym(s)

  • National Institute of Child Health and Human Development protocol
  • NICHD interview protocol
  • protocol of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development protocol
  • Revised NICHD investigative interview protocol

Belongs to group

Bibliographic citation(s)

  • • Benia, L. R., Hauck-Filho, N., Dillenburg, M., & Stein, L. M. (2015). The NICHD investigative interview protocol: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Child Sexual Abuse: Research, Treatment, & Program Innovations for Victims, Survivors, & Offenders, 24(3), 259–279. https://doi.org/10.1080/10538712.2015.1006749

    [Study type: meta-analysis / Access: closed]
  • • Cyr, M. (2014). Recueillir la parole de l’enfant témoin ou victime - De la théorie à la pratique. Dunod.

    [Study type: literature review / Access: closed]
  • • Cyr, M. (2022). Conducting interviews with child victims of abuse and witnesses of crime: A practical guide. Routledge.

    [Study type: literature review / Access: closed]
  • • Cyr, M., & Dion, J. (2006). Quand des guides d’entrevue servent à protéger la mémoire des enfants : l’exemple du protocole NICHD. Revue Québécoise de Psychologie, 27(3), 157-175.

    [Study type: literature review / Access: closed]
  • • Cyr, M., & Lamb, M. E. (2009). Assessing the effectiveness of the NICHD investigative interview Protocol when interviewing French-speaking alleged victims of child sexual abuse in Quebec. Child Abuse, 33(5), 257-268. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2008.04.002

    [Study type: empirical study / Access: closed]
  • • Hershkowitz, I., Ahern, E. C., Lamb, M. E., Blasbalg, U., Karni‐Visel, Y., & Breitman, M. (2017). Changes in interviewers’ use of supportive techniques during the revised protocol training. Applied Cognitive Psychology, 31(3), 340–350. https://doi.org/10.1002/acp.3333

    [Study type: empirical study / Access: closed]
  • • Hershkowitz, I., & Lamb, M. E. (2020). Allegation rates and credibility assessment in forensic interviews of alleged child abuse victims: Comparing the revised and standard NICHD protocols. Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, 26(2), 176–184. https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000230

    [Study type: empirical study / Access: closed]
  • • Karni-Visel, Y., Hershkowitz, I., Lamb, M. E., & Blasbalg, U. (2019). Facilitating the expression of emotions by alleged victims of child abuse during investigative interviews using the revised NICHD protocol. Child Maltreatment, 24(3), 310–318. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077559519831382

    [Study type: empirical study / Access: closed]
  • • Lamb, M. E., Orbach, Y., Hershkowitz, I., & Esplin, P. W. (2018). Tell me what happened: Structured investigative interviews of child victims and witnesses (2nd ed.). Wiley-Blackwell.

    [Study type: literature review / Access: closed]
  • • Lamb, M. E., Orbach, Y., Hershkowitz, I., Esplin, P. W., & Horowitz, D. (2007). A structured forensic interview protocol improves the quality and informativeness of investigative interviews with children: A review of research using the NICHD Investigative Interview Protocol. Child Abuse & Neglect, 31(11–12), 1201–1231. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chiabu.2007.03.021

    [Study type: literature review / Access: closed]
  • • Morville, A., Bénard, M., Podlipski, M.-A., Larson, M., Lopez, G., & Gerardin, P. (2016). Recueillir la parole de l’enfant victime d’agression sexuelle selon le protocole du National Institute of Child Health and Human Development: Enjeux, méthode et intérêts pour les intervenants du champ non judiciaire. Neuropsychiatrie de l’Enfance et de l’Adolescence, 64(4), 224–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neurenf.2016.03.006

    [Study type: literature review / Access: closed]
  • • Myklebust, T., La Rooy, D. J., & Peixoto, C. E. (2023). The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development protocol. In G. E. Oxburgh, T. Myklebust, M. Fallon, & M. Hartwig (Eds.), Interviewing and interrogation: A review of research and practice since World War II (pp. 367–387). Torkel Opsahl Academic EPublisher.

    [Study type: literature review / Access: open]
  • • Orbach, Y., Hershkowitz, I., Lamb, M. E., Sternberg, K. J., Esplin, P. W., & Horowitz, D. (2000). Assessing the value of structured protocols for forensic interviews of alleged child abuse victims. Child Abuse & Neglect, 24(6), 733–752. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0145-2134(00)00137-X

    [Study type: empirical study / Access: closed]

Creator

  • Frank Arnould

Study method of

Dataset citation(s)

  • • Peters, A., Otgaar, H., & Chan, J. C. (2017, August 4). NICHD Protocol and Misinformation. https://osf.io/vyngz

Editorial note

  • The different phases of the NICHD protocol are as follows (after Lamb et al., 2007, pp. 1204-1205). Introductory phase. The interviewer introduces himself/herself, clarifies what he/she expects from the child (describing events in detail and telling the truth). He/She explains the basic rules of communication: the child can say "I don't know", "I don't remember", "I don't understand", and correct the interviewer if appropriate. Rapport-building phase. In the first part of this phase, the interviewer creates a relaxed, positive atmosphere and a rapport with the child. In the second part, the child is asked to recall a neutral event in detail. The goal is to familiarize the child with the open-ended questioning used later during the investigation of the alleged sexual abuse, and to make the child aware of the level of detail that will be required. Transition phase. Prompts are introduced in an open-ended and non-suggestive manner to address the events that are the subject of the interview. The interviewer may use increasingly specific prompts, but worded with great caution if the child does not identify the events in question. When the child makes an allegation, the free recall phase begins. Free recall phase. Prompts to freely recall the events are offered to the child. The interviewer may ask open-ended questions such as "What happened next?" or "Earlier, you mentioned a person/object/action. Tell me everything you know about it," referring to details mentioned by the child himself or herself. Direct questioning phase. Only after the open-ended questioning can the interviewer begin to use directive questions ("When did it happen?", "What color was the car?"), always referring to what the child has said in order to learn more. If crucial details are still missing, a limited number of forced-choice or yes/no questions can be asked ("Did it hurt?", "Did he touch you over or under your clothes?"). The interviewer is strongly discouraged from using suggestive sentences that contain information that is expected but never stated by the child. The NICHD protocol is available in several languages : http://nichdprotocol.com/the-nichd-protocol/

In other languages

  • protocole du NICHD

    French

  • protocole d'audition du NICHD
  • protocole du National Institute of Child Health and Human Development

URI

http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/P66-TW7V3RP3-L

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