The role of male sexual arousal in rape: six models.

This article examines men's sexual arousal to rape cues and its possible role in sexual assault. The article presents six different models that have been described in the literature to account for men's sexual arousal to descriptions of rape. The models are divided into two broad categories, response control models and stimulus control models, and are further divided into models postulating a "trait" that might distinguish rapists from other men and those postulating a "state" that might be present in men while they commit a sexual assault. A number of the models are supported by empirical data, and some of these data are reviewed. The article suggests that different models may be operating in different men when they commit sexual assault. These models are discussed in relation to the current literature on the classification and diagnosis of sexual offenders.

The effects of the z-score transformation on measures of relative erectile response strength: a re-appraisal.

In studies of stimulus control of sexual arousal, some researchers transform raw data to z-scores. Earls, Quinsey and Castonguay [Archives of Sexual Behavior, 16, 493-500 (1987)] have argued that the proportion of variance due to stimulus presentations was greater in z-scores than in the raw data or in a percent score. We present analyses of sexual arousal data that show that z-score transformations may distort the information inherent in the raw data and may increase random error. In addition, we present Monte Carlo analyses indicating that the z-score transformation compromises the estimates of Type I error, and, depending on specific circumstances, sometimes increases and sometimes decreases the power of the statistical test. Transformation of raw data to percent of full erection does not distort the information in the raw data, does not compromise the data analyses and, therefore, is the preferred transformation.

The impact of recurrent headaches on behavior lifestyle and health.

The goal of this study was to examine whether behavioral avoidance was pervasive in a sample of headache sufferers as has been suggested by Philips (Behavior Research and Therapy, 25, 273-279, 1987). One hundred and fifty participants provided retrospective evaluations of behavior changes perceived to have resulted from repeated exposure to headache pain. The outcome of these self-assessments underscored marked changes in several domains of behavior and overall lifestyle. This evidence therefore provided support for Philips' position since the changes appeared persistent, even during pain-free states.

Pain-elicited responses and their role in predicting future pain duration and severity.

The first objective of this study was to carry out a prospective investigation of the behavioral and affective responses to headache pain over a 72 hr period. A sample of 74 headache sufferers provided self-reported ratings of affective and behavioral responses as measured by a composite of standardized questionnaires. Highly significant and clinically meaningful levels of both types of responses were found on the headache day. Interestingly, significant levels of behavioral and affective disturbances were also reported 24 hr after pain termination, indicating that responses to pain actually outlasted pain perception by at least 1 day. The second goal of this study was to investigate whether affective or behavioral responses were predictors of future pain intensity, duration or severity. A smaller sample of 25 subjects provided ratings on two sequential headaches. A series of time-lag analyses indicated that, unlike behavioral responses, strong affective responses during a given episode were associated with subsequently longer and more severe headaches. These results suggest that affective pain-elicited responses may be a risk factor for suffering a worse headache during the episode that follows.

The treatment of exhibitionists: a focus on sexual deviance versus cognitive and relationship features.

Two studies compared treatment of exhibitionists aimed at either: (1) modifying deviant sexual preferences; or (2) changing cognitions, enhancing relationship and interpersonal skills, and improving awareness of relapse prevention issues. Recidivism rates of these two programs were compared with each other and with the rates observed in untreated offenders. Results supported the focus on broader cognitive and social issues. Clearly exhibitionists can be treated effectively.

Differentiating rapists and non-offenders using the rape index.

Some studies have suggested that phallometrically derived rape indices can differentiate groups of rapists and non-offenders. There are other studies however which cast doubt on this assertion, at least in so far as it applies to all but those few rapists who are sadistic. These studies have used rape indices which are derived from rapists' sexual responses to audiotaped descriptions of mutually consenting sex and brutal sexual assaults. It was hypothesized however, that stimuli which put more emphasis on the degrading and humiliating elements of rape would improve discriminability. Stimuli were compiled to test this hypothesis. The results indicate that neither rape indices derived from the physically brutal elements nor the degrading elements of rape were able to discriminate between rapists and non-offenders. Furthermore, these indices were not related to offence histories. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for the assessment of rapists and theoretical considerations of their behaviour.

Cognitions and courage in the avoidance behavior of acrophobics.

Fifty subjects (29 fearless and 21 fearful) were tested in a potentially acrophobia-inducing situation, and their avoidance behavior and self-reported fear were noted. Subjects also completed various scales intended to measure their fearfulness and thoughts in hypothetical height-phobic, social-phobic and nonphobic situations. Interviews conducted immediately after the behavioral test, evaluated their thinking, fearfulness and tactics designed to deal with any fear they experienced. Analyses indicated that catastrophic thinking is more evident than irrational thinking in height situations and that such thinking was the best predictor of behavior among the measures used. The results are discussed in terms of their relevance for cognitive views of acrophobia and in terms of their relevance for treatment.

Exhibitionists: sexual preferences for exposing.

An assessment of the sexual preferences of exhibitionists and matched non-offenders, revealed greater arousal to scenes of exposing among the offenders but the actual degree of deviant preferences was not marked. Closer analyses of the individual response profiles, using various criteria for deviance, indicated that only a small proportion of exhibitionists displayed deviant arousal. We take these results, along with the findings from previous research, to deny the primacy of sexual motivation in exhibiting behavior. We also consider these results to indicate that there is little value in determining the sexual preferences of exhibitionists when planning treatment or estimating their risk to re-offend.

Acceleration and suppression of rats' responding to avoid foot shock and tail shock.

Signalled response-independent shocks were superimposed on rats' wheel-turn responding to avoid shock administered to their feet through a grid floor or to their tails through fixed electrodes. In Experiment I, a tone paired with response-independent foot shock increased responding in three of four rats; a tone paired with tail shock increased responding in only one of four rats and suppressed responding in two rats. In Experiment II, a tone presented randomly with respect to response-independent shock had no reliable effect on responding to avoid foot shock or tail shock. In Experiment III, tail shock and foot shock were compared in a within-subject design while the temporal pattern of responding during conditioned stimuli was recorded. Responding during the conditioned stimulus preceding foot shock was characterized by initial suppression of responding at tone onset, followed by increased responding just before response-independent shock. Responding was suppressed throughout the conditioned stimulus preceding tail shock. Foot shock elicited bursts of responding, but tail shock did not.

Victim blame and the disinhibition of sexual arousal to rape vignettes.

The present study examined the effects of differing levels of victim blame on the sexual arousal of males to rape vignettes. In the first experiment, a between-subjects experimental design was used to compare four groups of eight university males for their erectile responses to vignettes rated as low, medium, and high along a victim blame continuum. All groups found a consenting vignette more arousing than a nonconsenting vignette, however, this difference was significantly smaller for subjects in the high blame condition compared to the low and medium blame conditions. A second experiment supported the disinhibiting effect of the high victim blame manipulation using 12 university males in a within-subjects experimental design. The disinhibiting influence of victim blame on male sexual arousal to rape cues was discussed in relation to our broader understanding of sexual assault.

Brief research report: the reliability of the rape index in a sample of rapists and nonrapists.

Erectile responses of a sample of incarcerated rapists (N = 60) and male university students (N = 41) were monitored during verbal descriptions of adult heterosexual interactions. The verbal descriptions varied in terms of the consent given by the female and the degree of force or coercion used by the male. Each subject was tested in two laboratory sessions, and rape indices were calculated as the ratio of rape arousal to consenting arousal. The discrimination between consenting and nonconsenting cues was stronger in nonrapists than rapists. This difference was observed mainly because of an increase in the nonrapists' discrimination in the second session, in which nonrapists' arousal to consenting cues was enhanced. Based on the whole sample, test-retest reliability coefficients were unacceptably low. Eliminating subjects exhibiting only minimal arousal according to various criteria yielded higher coefficients in both groups. However, in the nonrapist group, acceptable levels of reliability were only reached after eliminating all subjects who did not reach at least 75% of full erection (over half the sample). We concluded that the reliability of the rape index is questionable, particularly when there is doubt as to whether the subject being tested is a rapist or a nonrapist, or when testing only nonrapists.