Implicit cognitive distortions and sexual offending.
This work develops and tests the semantic-motivation hypothesis of sexual offenders' implicit cognitions. This hypothesis posits that sexual offenders' cognitive distortions emerge at the interface between implicit motivation and cognition. The semantic-motivation hypothesis is used to guide the development of 3 implicit association tests (IATs). These IATs were used to test for the existence of 3 expected child sexual offender implicit cognitive distortions in child sexual offenders ("children as sexual beings," "uncontrollability of sexuality," and "sexual entitlement-bias"). Results showed that child sexual offenders had larger IAT effects than did mainstream offenders and male and female nonoffenders for the "children as sexual beings" and the "uncontrollability of sexuality" implicit theories. Child sexual offenders also had a larger IAT effect than male and female nonoffenders for the "sexual entitlement-bias" implicit theory. Implications for the semantic-motivation hypothesis are discussed.
Mihailides
Stephen
S
Department of Psychology, University of Melbourne, Victoria 3010, Australia. spmihail@unimelb.edu.au
Devilly
Grant J
GJ
Ward
Tony
T
D000328:Adult; D002648:Child; D002650:Child Abuse, Sexual / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000150:complications*; D003417:Criminal Psychology / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008960:Models, Psychological; D010378:Pedophilia / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011329:Prisoners; D011902:Rape / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology*; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012307:Risk Factors; D012649:Self Concept; D012647:Self-Assessment; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014739:Victoria