Applying Rapid Serial Visual Presentation to Adolescent Sexual Offenders

Attentional bias toward child images is assessed among adolescent sexual offenders and nonsexual offenders using the rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) method, which measures the effects of “attentional blink.” Twenty adolescent sexual offenders against children and 26 nonsexual offenders are asked to identify a child or animal image and then a second image in streams of 10 images. A stronger attentional blink effect is expected for offenders against children after viewing child rather than animal images. However, the expected differences between offender groups are not found. It is questioned whether the RSVP images can elicit a response in adolescent sexual offenders indicative of DSI. The clinical utility of applying the RSVP assessment with adolescents rather than adults is also queried because (a) adolescents' cognitive abilities may not allow them to conceptualize and concentrate on the assessment in its present form and (b) deviant sexual interest may be evident to different degrees in adolescent sexual offenders.