ERIC Number: EJ811551
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2008-Jul
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1355-2600
EISSN: N/A
The Effects of Visual Priming on Information Processing in Child Sexual Offenders
Keown, Kirsten; Gannon, Theresa A.; Ward, Tony
Journal of Sexual Aggression, v14 n2 p145-159 Jul 2008
Child sexual offenders are hypothesized to hold offence-supportive beliefs that set them apart from others. The current study seeks support for this view via a cognitive-experimental approach. Child sexual offenders and offender controls were exposed to pictures of semi-clothed children (priming condition) or clothed, mature adults (control condition). Participants then read ambiguous sentences describing children's actions that could be interpreted in a sexualized manner. Next, participants completed a surprise recognition test in which half the sentences were re-presented in an unambiguously sexual form, and half in an unambiguously non-sexual form. Contrary to hypotheses, primed and/or control child sexual offenders did not show a memory bias for sexualized sentences, suggesting that they did not interpret the original sentences in line with offence-supportive beliefs. Results raise questions about whether child sexual offenders universally hold abnormal beliefs that facilitate their offending. Results also highlight the need for further experimental research within this field. (Contains 1 table and 1 figure.)
Descriptors: Sexual Abuse, Information Processing, Criminals, Priming, Child Abuse, Visual Stimuli, Hypothesis Testing, Comparative Analysis, Memory, Sentences, Foreign Countries, Institutionalized Persons, Correctional Institutions, Aggression
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Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A