Accuracy of Disclosure and Contextual Control in Child Abuse: Developing Procedures Within the Stimulus Equivalence Paradigm.
M. Keenan
A. McGlinchey
C. Fairhurst
University of Ulster, Coleraine
K. Dillenburger
The Queen's University of Belfast
ABSTRACT: Lack of reliable, nonintrusive disclosure techniques remains an obstacle
in child abuse investigations. Stimulus equivalence procedures have been used to detect a range of
social experiences. This paper explores the role that contextual cues play in the development of
these procedures. Eight 6-9-year-olds were exposed to verifiable social experiences and then
trained to respond differentially to two arbitrary stimuli. Phases 1-3 of the experiment began
with a role-play in the laboratory. In Phase 1, the role-play was followed by conditional
discrimination training; selecting arbitrary stimulus (*) in the presence of pictures depicting
unusual activities in the role-play was reinforced, while selecting arbitrary stimulus (!) in the
presence of other role-play stimuli was reinforced. In Phase 2, the role-play was followed by a
testing procedure. In Phase 3, the two arbitrary stimuli were established as contextual cues.
Following the role-play, accurate disclosure was reinforced in the presence of (*), while
inaccurate disclosure was reinforced in the presence of (!). In Phase 4, a prearranged role-play
took place at each child's home. Using the arbitrary stimuli as contextual cues, children were
tested for accurate and inaccurate verbal accounts. All subjects achieved 100% correct responses
in Phases 1-3. Four of the 8 subjects scored 100% in Phase 4, whereas the remaining subjects
scored between 67% and 94%. Findings are discussed in the context of child abuse.
Key words: children's disclosure, contextual control, stimulus equivalence,
verbal-nonverbal correspondence, child abuse.
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