Link to this page
Thesaurus of the Cognitive Psychology of Human Memory
Last uploaded:
May 20, 2026
No main scheme defined in the URI property
Please select a collection to display
| Id | http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/P66-TW7V3RP3-L
http://data.loterre.fr/ark:/67375/P66-TW7V3RP3-L
|
|---|---|
| Preferred Name | NICHD protocol |
| Definitions |
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.
|
| Synonyms |
NICHD interview protocol
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development protocol
protocol of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development protocol
Revised NICHD investigative interview protocol
|
| Type | http://www.w3.org/2004/02/skos/core#Concept |
All Properties
| definition | 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. |
|---|---|
| altLabel | NICHD interview protocol
National Institute of Child Health and Human Development protocol
protocol of the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development protocol
Revised NICHD investigative interview protocol
|
| prefLabel | NICHD protocol
|
| exactMatch | |
| memberOf | |
| related | |
| type | |
| bibliographicCitation | 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
Cyr, M. (2022). Conducting interviews with child victims of abuse and witnesses of crime: A practical guide. Routledge.
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
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.
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.
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
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.
Cyr, M. (2014). Recueillir la parole de l’enfant témoin ou victime - De la théorie à la pratique. Dunod.
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
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
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
Lamb, M. E. (in press). The history of an idea: The NICHD Protocol, Standard, and Revised. Legal and Criminological Psychology. https://doi.org/10.1111/lcrp.70033
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
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
Job, R., Brunel, M., & Przygodzki-Lionet, N. (2025). Child interviewing practices: Effects of the implementation of the NICHD protocol training in France. Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology, 40(1), 103–115. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11896-024-09707-5
See more
See less
|
| scopeNote | 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/
|
| broader | |
| creator | Frank Arnould
|
| isStudyMethodOf | |
| inScheme | |
| created | December 4, 2017
|
| modified | September 9, 2025
|
| Delete | Subject | Author | Type | Created |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| No notes to display |