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Research on Child Witness Testimony at Åbo Akademi University Gains International Recognition

Two scientific articles authored by researchers at Åbo Akademi University focusing on forensic child interviewing have received significant attention within the international research community.

The article White paper on forensic child interviewing: research-based recommendations by the European Association of Psychology and Law, led by Professor of Practice Julia Korkman, is currently ranked as the most cited publication in the journal Psychology, Crime and Law.

Meanwhile, the article Pre-interview hypothesis generation: large language models (LLMs) show promise for child abuse investigations, authored by doctoral researcher and forensic psychologist Liisa Järvilehto, is the journal’s most read article at present.

The white paper presents evidence-based guidelines for conducting forensic interviews with children. These recommendations have had a notable impact on the field of legal psychology and are also available in an accessible policy brief format in multiple languages, published by the European Institute for Crime Prevention and Control (HEUNI).

“These recommendations have significantly influenced the field and were the result of a highly successful collaboration, even though coordinating a writing team of over 30 researchers from around the world was no small feat,” says Julia Korkman, who leads the research.

Järvilehto’s article explores how artificial intelligence can support child abuse investigations by helping generate hypotheses ahead of forensic interviews with children.

“The aim is to reduce the risk of human bias and enhance objectivity in investigations. Our study shows that large language models like GPT-4 can assist child protection professionals by generating relevant hypotheses prior to interviews, which is a crucial part of the investigative process. The research has already attracted international interest, including among prosecutors in the United States,” says Liisa Järvilehto.

“It’s truly rewarding to see that our research on child interviewing at Åbo Akademi University is thriving and making an impact. I would especially like to highlight the support of the Sundell Foundation, which has played a key role in enabling this work. Their contribution has truly borne fruit,” adds Julia Korkman.

Learn more about forensic psychology research at Åbo Akademi University.