Dr Sarah Krahenbuhl

I am a Chartered Psychologist with the BPS. I am also an Associate Fellow of the British Psychological Society.

BSocSc (Hons) Social Anthropology
PGCE
BSc (Hons) Psychology
MSc Research Methods
PhD

My main area of expertise is in legal proceedings involving child witnesses and victims. I focus on the investigative strategies used with children, the professionals involved, and subsequent court proceedings.

I have conducted analyses of the effect and implementation of question repetition in children’s investigative interviews. I am now conducting studies into professional perceptions of appropriate questioning, the effect and implementation of ground rules, the role and impact of Registered Intermediaries, and attrition rates for referrals involving children.

I have been an award holder of a British Academy grant (in conjunction with Dr. Mark Blades of Sheffield and Dr. Julie Cherryman of Portsmouth universities) for a study on ground rules implementation. I have also been Social Research Lead on a Nottingham University project on Children's Perceptions of their Experiences through Legal Proceedings for the Fundamental Rights Agency.

I am module leader for Level 6 Forensic Applications of Psychology. I also contribute to the following courses: Foundations in Psychology, Perspectives in Psychology, Psychological Contexts of Crime and Punishment, Psychology of Crime and Criminal Justice, Psychology of Crime and Criminality, and People Behaving Badly. I supervise final year undergraduate research projects and am a PhD supervisor.

I am a PhD supervisor to students at Staffordshire University and at Sheffield University.

Publications

Krähenbühl, S. J. (2018, online only at present). Mock jurors’ perceptions of a child witness: The impact of the presence and/or intervention of a Registered Intermediary during cross-examination. Psychology, Crime and Law.

Krähenbühl, S. J., & Dent, H. R. (2017, online only at present). Attrition in child abuse cases: The views of ex-Police Officers in the United Kingdom. Journal of Interpersonal Violence

Krähenbühl, S. J., Blades, M., & Cherryman, J. (2015). A Qualitative Examination of “Ground Rules” Implementation Practice in Investigative Interviews with Children. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 22, 830-841.

Krähenbühl, S. J. (2012). Child testimony: What expert witnesses can and cannot do in respect to children’s testimony. Counsel magazine, March edition, 30-31.

Krähenbühl, S. J. (2011). Effective and appropriate communication with children in legal proceedings according to lawyers and intermediaries. Child Abuse Review, 20, 407-420. Krähenbühl, S. J. (2011) “Does the jury really need to hear it all?”: The effect of evidence presentation practice on jury assessment of children’s eyewitness testimony. Article accepted for publication in Psychology, Crime and Law.

Krähenbühl, S. J., & Blades, M. & Westcott, H. (2010) “What else should I say?”: An analysis of the question repetition practiced in Police interviews of 4 to 11 year olds. Police Practice and Research: An International Journal, 11, 477-490.

Krähenbühl, S. J., & Blades, M. (2009). Does the Form of Question Repetition Have an Effect on Children's Recall Accuracy and Consistency? International Journal of Police Science and Management, 11, 460-475.

Krähenbühl, S. J., & Blades, M. & Eiser, C. (2009). The Effect of Repeated Questioning on Children's Accuracy and Consistency in Eyewitness Testimony. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 14, 263-278.

Krähenbühl, S. J. (2008). Interviewing Young Children: Protocol, Practice and Perception in Police Interviews. Childhood’s Today

Krähenbühl, S. J., & Blades, M. (2006). The Effect of Question Repetition Within Interviews on Young Children's Eyewitness Recall. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 94, 57-67.

Krähenbühl, S. J., & Blades, M. (2006). The Effect of Interviewing Techniques on Young Children's Responses to Questions. Child: Care, Health and Development, 32, 321-332.

Conference Presentations

2016 March, Intermediaries for Justice Conference. Invited speaker. Paper presentation ‘Justice for Children: Myth or Reality?’.

2015 December, BPS Division of Clinical Psychology. Paper presentation on ex-Police Officers perception of the reasons for attrition in Child Protection cases.

2012 April, European Conference of Psychology and Law. Paper presentation on ground rule implementation. Paper presentation on Expert Witness assessment of children’s testimony

2010 March, North Wales Family Justice Council, CPD conference. Paper presentation on ABE interviewing.

2009 Hanley Court. Paper presentation on ABE interviewing.

2008 March, International Investigative Interviewing Research Group, University of Derby, Paper presentation

2007 March, Society for Research in Child Development, Boston, USA, Poster presentation.

2006 July, International Investigative Interviewing Conference, University of Portsmouth. Paper presentation.

2005 December, 8th International Investigative Psychology Conference, London. Paper presentation.

2005 September, British Psychological Society Developmental Conference, University of Edinburgh. Poster presentation.

2005 March, Earlier the Better Conference, Stoke-on-Trent. Poster presentation.

2005 April, Society for Research into Child Development Conference, Atlanta, USA, Poster presentation.

2004 September, British Psychological Society Developmental Conference, Leeds Metropolitan University. Poster presentation.

2004 May, Forensic Psychology Research Group Conference, Open University, Poster presentation.