Abstract
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 (201C;children as sexual beings,201D; 201C;uncontrollability of sexuality,201D; and 201C;sexual entitlement-bias201D;). Results showed that child sexual offenders had larger IAT effects than did mainstream offenders and male and female nonoffenders for the 201C;children as sexual beings201D; and the 201C;uncontrollability of sexuality201D; implicit theories. Child sexual offenders also had a larger IAT effect than male and female nonoffenders for the 201C;sexual entitlement-bias201D; implicit theory. Implications for the semantic-motivation hypothesis are discussed.
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Mihailides, S., Devilly, G.J. & Ward, T. Implicit Cognitive Distortions and Sexual Offending. Sex Abuse 16, 333–350 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SEBU.0000043327.10168.5b
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:SEBU.0000043327.10168.5b