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ERIC Number: EJ833541
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2006-Mar
Pages: 14
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1355-2600
EISSN: N/A
Do Child Molesters Hold Distorted Beliefs? What Does Their Memory Recall Tell Us?
Gannon, Theresa A.; Wright, Daniel B.; Beech, Anthony R.; Williams, Sian
Journal of Sexual Aggression, v12 n1 p5-18 Mar 2006
Do child molesters hold distorted beliefs (or cognitive distortions) that support their sexual offending? To test this hypothesis, we asked 28 child molesters and 20 inmate controls to read a description of child molestation. Within this vignette, we planted 10 ambiguous descriptions. If child molesters' information processing were driven by cognitive distortions, we hypothesized that they would use this knowledge to disambiguate and cognitively distort each description. This was tested by examining participants' free recall of the vignette. Chi-square tests of association showed that both child molesters and inmate controls had various memory distortions for the vignette, but could not be differentiated based on the numbers of cognitive distortions in their recall classifications. In other words, our findings did not support the widely held cognitive distortion hypothesis--a finding which could promote substantial revision of both how we view child molesters' "cognitive distortions", and how we treat them. (Contains 3 tables.)
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: United Kingdom; United Kingdom (England)
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A