In both studies, 8- to 10-year-olds participated in a classroom activity and 2 weeks later were questioned regarding their memory of the event. Half were questioned in a courtroom and half were questioned in an informal environment. The findings suggested that a child's ability to provide complete and accurate information may be affected by the psychological and physical setting in which testimony is given. In these experiments, impaired free recall and more reactive heart rate patterns were associated with the courtroom setting. These results contrasted with similar self- report measures of anticipatory anxiety and responses to direct questions from both groups of children. Future research should continue to examine the hypothesis that anxiety associated with certain characteristics of an environment may influence the quality of children's testimony, and the potential mediating influence of perception of self-image and social support. 4 tables and 19 references