The attentional blink as an indicator of sexual interest

Susan Mac Conaill

doi:10.5334/jeps.ar

Abstract

Using implicit measures in psychological assessment is new in research. The Attentional Blink is a widely supported phenomenon in the cognitive literature. It has been reported that emotionally salient stimuli, particularly those of a sexual nature, can produce it, leading to lower recall of a neutral target presented after the stimulus item. This study looked at the Attentional Blink as a measure of sexual interest. It also looked at the use of computer-generated (CG) images as an alternative to real images. Findings showed that nude images produced the largest Attentional Blink, real images are most effective, and CG images produced some effect. These finding are promising for the development of CG images of children for use in paedophile assessment.

Highlights

IntroductionThere has been an increasing clinical interest shown in sex offending
In recent years, there has been an increasing clinical interest shown in sex offending
The implementation of the UK Criminal Justice Act (1991) has led to assessment and treatment plans being implemented for incarcerated sex offenders, and the number of people being referred for evaluation and treatment is increasing

Summary

Introduction

There has been an increasing clinical interest shown in sex offending. This is partly due to the increase in acknowledgement of the levels of sex abuse in the past (Towl & Crighton, 1996). The implementation of the UK Criminal Justice Act (1991) has led to assessment and treatment plans being implemented for incarcerated sex offenders, and the number of people being referred for evaluation and treatment is increasing. Assessment of sex offenders needs to take a number of factors into consideration such as behaviour, cognitions, and social factors. There is no comprehensive system for evaluating sex offenders, and many methods of assessment are used, including self-report methods such as diaries and questionnaires The purpose of assessment has three main goals: to look at the risk of recidivism, to identify what treatment plan is most suitable, and to evaluate the outcome of these treatments to see if they have been successful (Beckett, 1994)

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Results

Conclusion