Research and Markets: Cognitive Approaches to the Assessment of Sexual Interest in Sexual Offenders

DUBLIN-(Business Wire)-September 22, 2009 - Research and Markets (http://www.researchandmarkets.com/research/8947f1/cognitive_approach) has announced the addition of John Wiley and Sons Ltd's new report "Cognitive Approaches to the Assessment of Sexual Interest in Sexual Offenders" to their offering.

New for the Wiley Series in Forensic Clinical Psychology, Cognitive Approaches to the Treatment of Sexual Offenders describes and evaluates the current methods of measuring sexual interest in sex offenders - namely penile plethysmography, the Abel Assessment for Sexual Interest, Affinity 2.1, the Implicit Association Test, the Stroop test and the polygraph. The book also discusses how established cognitive assessment methods such as the attentional blink and the startle probe reflex can be adapted for use with sex offenders. It therefore brings together in one volume all the latest research and practice in this area, along with critical commentary on the effectiveness of each method.

Cognitive Approaches to the Assessment of Sexual Interest in Sexual Offenders examines the specific issue of cognitive approaches to the assessment of sexual interest in sex offenders. Chapters written by authorities in the field provide information for practitioners and researchers on methods of assessment that are primarily based on procedures developed in cognitive science. The methods are typically simple, straightforward, and require little time to administer and score. Used in combination they can provide convergent measures of a single phenomenon sexual interest. Offering a broad approach to the subject, the book's contents range from widely used means of assessment, such as questionnaires, to methods designed specifically for sexual assessment, for example, penile plethysmography. The book also encompasses innovative approaches, such as the Stroop test and the Implicit Association Test.

Edited by two acknowledged experts in the research field of sex offending, this book is an outstanding contribution to the work of those engaged in practice and research aimed at preventing sex offending.

Key Topics Covered:

About the Editors.
List of Contributors.
Series Editors' Preface.
Introduction (David Thornton and D. Richard Laws).
1 Penile Plethysmography: Strengths, Limitations, Innovations (D. Richard Laws).
2 The Abel Assessment for Sexual Interests - 2: A Critical Review (Susan J. Sachsenmaier and Carmen L.Z. Gress).
3 Affinity: The Development of a Self-Report Assessment of Paedophile Sexual Interest Incorporating a Viewing Time Validity Measure (David V. Glasgow).
4 Cognitive Modelling of Sexual Arousal and Interest: Choice Reaction Time Measures (Carmen L.Z. Gress and D. Richard Laws).
5 The Implicit Association Test as a Measure of Sexual Interest (Nicola S. Gray and Robert J. Snowden).
6 Measuring Child Molesters' Implicit Cognitions about Self and Children (Kevin L. Nunes).
7 The Rapid Serial Visual Presentation Test of Sexual Interest in Child Molesters (Vanja E. Flak, Anthony R. Beech and Glyn W. Humphreys).
8 Assessing Sexual Interest with the Emotional Stroop Test (Paul Smith).
9 Comparing Two Implicit Cognitive Measures of Sexual Interest: A Pictorial Modified Stroop Task and the Implicit Association Test (Caoilte 'O Ciardha and Michael Gormley).
10 The Startle Probe Reflex: An Alternative Approach to the Measurement of Sexual Interest (Jeffrey E. Hecker, Matthew W. King and R. Jamie Scoular).
11 Postscript: Steps Towards Effective Assessment of Sexual Interest (David Thornton and D. Richard Laws).
Index.