Interrogative Suggestibility of People with a Learning Disability: The Influence of Mode of Assessment and Research Portfolio

Objectives. The study examined whether presentation of a task similar to the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales (GSS) in an audio-visual as opposed to usual audio modality, increased the recall of the initial task and reduced suggestible responses. The utility of introducing a further element to the standard GSS presentation of an additional recall phase was tested to determine whether this might facilitate a clearer distinction between suggestible and acquiescent responding. Methods. 26 residents of a learning disability hospital were assessed on the GSS2 and then matched to pairs according to suggestibility. 12 pairs subsequently completed a second, new, suggestibility task (KBS) based on the GSS design. One of each pair watched the initial story on video, the other only listened to the soundtrack. An extra story recall task was included following questioning in both phases, allowing calculation of the influence of the questions on recall content. Results. No significant differences were found for total recall or suggestibility according to mode of presentation, although some of the patterns of recall may be worthy of further investigation. The inclusion of the extra recall task showed that 21 of the 26 participants included information only led in questions as having been part of the initial story. Conclusions. No overall effect for modality was found on this occasion, but there is an indication that patterns of recall were affected. The number of participants who were led by the questions has implications for a range of interview situations