Eye movements in pedophiles: Automatic and controlled attentional processes while viewing prepubescent stimuli.

Recent theories in sexuality highlight the importance of automatic and controlled attentional processes in viewing sexually relevant stimuli. The model of Spiering and Everaerd (2007) assumes that sexually relevant features of a stimulus are preattentively selected and automatically induce focal attention to these sexually relevant aspects. Whether this assumption proves true for pedophiles is unknown. It is aim of this study to test this assumption empirically for people suffering from pedophilic interests. Twenty-two pedophiles, 8 nonpedophilic forensic controls, and 52 healthy controls simultaneously viewed the picture of a child and the picture of an adult while eye movements were measured. Entry time was assessed as a measure of automatic attentional processes and relative fixation time in order to assess controlled attentional processes. Pedophiles demonstrated significantly shorter entry time to child stimuli than to adult stimuli. The opposite was the case for nonpedophiles, as they showed longer relative fixation time for adult stimuli, and, against all expectations, pedophiles also demonstrated longer relative fixation time for adult stimuli. The results confirmed the hypothesis that pedophiles automatically selected sexually relevant stimuli (children). Contrary to all expectations, this automatic selection did not trigger the focal attention to these sexually relevant pictures. Furthermore, pedophiles were first and longest attracted by faces and pubic regions of children; nonpedophiles were first and longest attracted by faces and breasts of adults. The results demonstrated, for the first time, that the face and pubic region are the most attracting regions in children for pedophiles. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)

Accession Number: 2012-32339-001. PMID: 23206281 Other Journal Title: The Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology; The Journal of Abnormal Psychology; The Journal of Abnormal Psychology and Social Psychology. Partial author list: First Author & Affiliation: Fromberger, Peter; Department for Forensic Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany. Release Date: 20121203. Correction Date: 20150216. Publication Type: Journal (0100), Peer Reviewed Journal (0110). Format Covered: Electronic. Document Type: Journal Article. Language: English. Major Descriptor: Attention; Eye Movements; Orienting Responses; Pedophilia. Classification: Behavior Disorders & Antisocial Behavior (3230). Population: Human (10); Inpatient (50). Location: Germany. Age Group: Adulthood (18 yrs & older) (300). Tests & Measures: Screening Scale for Pedophilic Interests; Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. Methodology: Empirical Study; Quantitative Study. References Available: Y. Page Count: 13. Issue Publication Date: May, 2013. Publication History: First Posted Date: Dec 3, 2012; Accepted Date: Aug 21, 2012; Revised Date: Aug 16, 2012; First Submitted Date: Mar 14, 2012. Copyright Statement: American Psychological Association. 2012.