Studying Sexual Aggression: A Review of the Evolution and Validity of Laboratory Paradigms

Details

• Alternative Title:
  Psychol Violence
• Personal Author:
  Davis, Kelly Cue ; George, William H. ; Nagayama Hall, Gordon C. ; Parrott, Dominic J. ; Tharp, Andra Teten ; Stappenbeck, Cynthia A.
• Description:
  Objective
  
  Researchers have endeavored for decades to develop and implement experimental assessments of sexual aggression and its precursors to capitalize on the many scientific advantages offered by laboratory experiments, such as rigorous control of key variables and identification of causal relationships. The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of and commentary on the evolution of these laboratory-based methods.
  
  Conclusions
  
  To date, two primary types of sexual aggression laboratory studies have been developed: those that involve behavioral analogues of sexual aggression and those that assess postulated precursors to sexually aggressive behavior. Although the study of sexual aggression in the laboratory is fraught with methodological challenges, validity concerns, and ethical considerations, advances in the field have resulted in greater methodological rigor, more precise dependent measures, and improved experimental validity, reliability, and realism. Because highly effective sexual aggression prevention strategies remain elusive, continued laboratory-based investigation of sexual aggression coupled with translation of critical findings to the development and modification of sexual aggression prevention programs remains an important task for the field.
  
  
• Keywords:
  Behavioral Analogues Laboratory Paradigms Sexual Aggression Sexual Assault
• Source:
  Psychol Violence. 4(4):462-476
• Pubmed ID:
  29675289
• Pubmed Central ID:
  PMC5902808
• Document Type:
  Journal Article
• Funding:
  CC999999/Intramural CDC HHSUnited States/
• Volume:
  4
• Issue:
  4
• Collection(s):
  CDC Public Access
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha256:78abfda9a2abb674e0aa589da8a7aa813804d9f3bf3130b314cceee11dc23a4b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/53592/cdc_53592_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 101.58 KB ]