Use of Visual Reaction Time to Assess Male Adolescents Who Molest Children

Abstract

With the recent realization of the extent to which adolescents are committing sexual offenses, researchers have attempted to identify valid and reliable assessment instruments for this population. Some such assessment instruments (i.e., plethysmography, self-report) have met with criticism relative to their utility with juvenile offenders. The present study aimed to assess the validity of the Abel Assessment for sexual interest (AASI) with male adolescents who have molested children. Results indicated that the amount of time male adolescent child molesters viewed slides of children was significantly longer than nonmolesters. Additionally, viewing time of slides of children for male adolescent child molesters was significantly correlated with their number of victims and the number of times they carried out acts of child molestation. These results support the AASI as a valid measure of sexual interest in adolescent male child molesters.

The assessment and treatment of deviant sexual arousal with adolescents who have offended sexually

“…They concluded that there were significant questions regarding the reliability and validity of this measure (but see Abel, 2000). In a more recent investigation of the properties of the AASI, Abel et al (2004) collected data from 1704 males aged 11Á17 years. It was noted that VT for images of children was correlated moderately with the number of child victims and the number of acts of child sexual offending.…”

Assessment of sexual interest using a choice reaction time task and priming: A feasibility study

“…Hence, the idea of assessing deviant sexual interest through viewing time has led to the development of diagnostic tests such as the Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest ‐2™ (AASI‐2™; Abel Screening, Inc.; cf. Abel et al , 2004) or the assessment tool Affinity (Glasgow, Osborne, & Croxen, 2003) geared towards people with learning disability. It should be remembered though that an aesthetic response (Singer, 1984) can be produced by just seeing an attractive object or face.…”

A Meta-Analysis of Viewing Time Measures of Sexual Interest in Children

“…Table 3 As there were only two juvenile samples that provided group comparisons subsequent moderator analyses were restricted to adult SOC samples (Abel et al, 2004;Worling et al, 2006). studies that used real pictures (78%; although no statistical outliers were identified).…”