Interviewing Children

This entry covers various details for consideration when research involves interviewing children or youth under the age of 18. The importance of including a child-centered perspective is discussed, followed by an overview of regulations governing the involvement of minors in human subjects’ research. Finally, several practical considerations and best practices are presented, covering not only the interview itself but also the training involved in the preparation of researchers as well as recommendations for handling special circumstances that may arise during the interview. Despite the special considerations needed to interview children and the added burden required of researchers to include children in research, the contribution of children’s perspectives to the developmental literature is extremely valuable.