Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales Mixed media product

The Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scale (GSS 1) and its parallel form, the GSS 2, were developed for research, forensic and clinical applications.

They give a reliable measure of verbal memory recall, both immediate and delayed, and 'interrogative suggestibility', which has been shown to have two distinct components - 'Yield' and 'Shift'.

The GSS 1 and GSS 2 also provide objective measures of 'confabulation' which refers to problems in memory processing where people replace gaps in their memory with imaginary recollections.

The Scales were developed in order to measure objectively the vulnerabilities or proneness of people to give erroneous accounts when interviewed.

The Scales are particularly applicable to police interviewing contexts, but they can be usefully applied to any interview situation, including clinical practice.

The Scales can be used with forensic populations, victims and witnesses to crime, mentally disordered persons, and children and adolescents.

A parallel development to the GSS 1 and GSS 2 has been the construction of the Gudjonsson Compliance Scale (GCS). In contrast to the suggestibility scales, the GCS is a self-report measure and it measures the construct of compliance, which is principally comprised of an eagerness to please and avoidance of conflict and confrontation.

It complements the work conducted into 'interrogative suggestibility'.

Research has shown that both suggestibility and compliance are relevant to police interviewing and clinical practice.

The manual provides the reader with a clear and concise description of the ways in which the Scales are administered, scored and evaluated.

The Scales have been extensively standardised and validated on a variety of populations.

Norms and percentile rank scores are provided as well as a comprehensive bibliography.