Assessing the implicit beliefs of sexual offenders using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure: a first study

Dawson, David L., Barnes-Holmes, Dermot, Gresswell, David M. , Hart, Aidan J. and Gore, Nick J. (2009) Assessing the implicit beliefs of sexual offenders using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure: a first study. Sexual Abuse: A Journal of Research and Treatment, 21 (1). pp. 57-75. ISSN 1079-0632

Full content URL: http://sax.sagepub.com/cgi/content/abstract/21/1/5...

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Assessing the implicit beliefs of sexual offenders using the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure: a first study
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Abstract

Researchers have proposed that the cognitive distortions of sexual offenders are underpinned by a number of implicit cognitive processes termed implicit theories. Until
recently, however, the implicit theory hypothesis has received little empirical support due to broader limitations with standard forensic assessment procedures. The current research aimed to determine whether a new assessment methodology, the Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure (IRAP), could provide further evidence for Ward and Keenan’s (1999) children as sexual beings implicit theory. The results indicated that the
IRAP was significantly more effective at identifying core implicit differences between sexual offenders against children and nonoffenders than a cognitive distortion
questionnaire. Furthermore, although both groups demonstrated an overall response bias towards adults as sexual and children as nonsexual, this bias was significantly impaired in the sexual offender group. The findings are discussed in relation to previous
implicit theory research and recommendations for the development of implicit methodologies are made.

Keywords:implicit beliefs, cognitive distortions, sexual offending, Implicit Relational Assessment Procedure, IRAP
Subjects:C Biological Sciences > C800 Psychology
C Biological Sciences > C840 Clinical Psychology
Divisions:College of Social Science > School of Psychology
ID Code:2145
Deposited On:29 Jan 2010 11:47

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