REDUCING DEVIANT AROUSAL IN JUVENILE SEX OFFENDERS

THIS PROJECT IS DEVOTED TO THE CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT AND EVALUATION OF A NEW FORM OF AVERSIVE CONDITIONING FOR THE TREATMENT OF JUVENILE SEX OFFENDERS. VICARIOUS SENSITIZATION (VS) RAISES FEW OF THE POLITICAL, ETHICAL, AND MOTIVATIONAL OBJECTIONS COMMONLY ASSOCIATED WITH THIS CLASS OF TREATMENT TECHNIQUES. IN VS, THE AVERSIVE STIMULI ARE VIDEOTAPED PORTRAYALS OF ADOLESCENT PEDOPHILES WHO MUST CONTEND WITH THE NEGATIVE SOCIAL, EMOTIONAL, AND LEGAL CONSEQUENCES OF THEIR CRIMES AGAINST YOUNG CHILDREN. SUBJECTS ARE ALTERNATELY EXPOSED TO AUDIOTAPED CRIME SCENARIOS DESIGNED TO EVOKE AROUSAL TO CHILDREN FOLLOWED IMMEDIATELY BY EXPOSURE TO AN AVERSIVE VIDEO VIGNETTE. AS WITH OTHER CONDITIONING PROCEDURES, A GREAT MANY TRIALS ARE NECESSARY FOR CUES ASSOCIATED WITH ILLICIT SEXUAL ACTIVITY TO EVOKE ANXIETY RATHER THAN DEVIANT FANTASIES OR ACTUAL ABUSE. TO ACCOMMODATE A LARGE NUMBER OF TRIALS WITHOUT HABITUATION TO THE AVERSIVE STIMULI, AN EXTENSIVE LIBRARY OF VIDEO VIGNETTES IS NEEDED. THE MAJOR THRUST OF THIS PROJECT IS TO PRODUCE SUCH A COLLECTION AND THEN TO TEST THE IMPACT OF VS ON THE DEVIANT SEXUAL AROUSAL OF SIX ADOLESCENT SEX OFFENDERS. MULTIPLE MEASURES WILL BE USED TO EVALUATE VS.