statement validity analysis
a collection of techniques used to assess the truth of statements given during investigations, such as the truth of allegations made by children during interviews concerning sexual abuse. The focus is on the words themselves, independent of case facts. Such analysis is based on the assumption that the flow and quality of truthful statements is different from fabricated ones and it involves examining the use of nouns, pronouns, and verbs; the inclusion of extraneous information; the use of such phrases as “I think,” which indicate lack of connection; and the balance between descriptions of activities before, during, and after the event in question. These provide various criteria that ostensibly enable interviewers to distinguish plausible from implausible accounts. Such methods are still being refined and their accuracy studied and debated. See also criterion-based content analysis.