Children's Institute Inc. controversies

McMartin preschool case and disputed interview practices

CII played a significant role in interviewing children associated with the McMartin preschool abuse investigation and trial. The use of puppets, anatomically correct dolls, and other interviewing approaches was later criticized, with subsequent research indicating that the methods could contribute to false allegations. The episode is part of the wider history of the 1980s day-care abuse panic and debates over suggestive questioning and forensic interviewing.