NCJ Number
206081
Journal
Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment Volume: 16 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2004 Pages: 163-171
Date Published
April 2004
Length
9 pages
Annotation
This study compared the information-processing bias for sexual material among a forensic sample of sexual and violent offenders and a nonforensic sample of undergraduate students.
Abstract
While processing bias for sexual material has been investigated in normal and sexually dysfunctional males, few studies have examined such processing bias in sexual offenders. Information-processing bias involves a differential response to material salient to individuals. The current study compared the information-processing bias among a group of forensic participants (sexual and violent offenders) who might be presumed to find sexual material highly salient to a group of nonforensic participants (undergraduate students). A computerized version of the Stroop color naming task, in which participants are shown words printed in a variety of colors and are asked to name the color, was completed by 10 sex offenders, 10 violent offenders, 10 nonviolent offenders, and 13 undergraduate students. Participants also completed a series of questionnaires that assessed mood and personality. Results of statistical analyses indicated that offenders convicted of sexual offenses most often demonstrated processing bias with words of a sexual nature; violent offenders were also significantly slower than undergraduate students to color-name words related to sexual offending. Moreover, processing bias was observed for aggression words among violent offenders and violent sexual offenders, but not among the nonviolent sexual offenders. Although the study is preliminary, the findings suggest that instruments assessing information-processing bias may be useful to clinicians working with forensic populations. Tables, references