by rbartels | Jun 30, 2022 | Publications
Georgina has published an new paper in the Jan/Feb issue of ‘Applied Cognitive Psychology’ entitled “Individual differences in face and voice matching abilities: The relationship between accuracy and consistency”
Abstract
Deciding whether two different face photographs or voice samples are from the same person represent fundamental challenges within applied settings. To date, most research has focussed on average performance in these tests, failing to consider individual differences and within-person consistency in responses. Here, participants completed the same face (Experiment 1) or voice matching test (Experiment 2) on two separate occasions, allowing comparison of overall accuracy across the two timepoints as well as consistency in trial-level responses. In both experiments, participants were highly consistent in their performances. In addition, we demonstrated a large association between consistency and accuracy, with the most accurate participants also tending to be the most consistent. This is an important result for applied settings in which organisational groups of super-matchers are deployed in real-world contexts. Being able to reliably identify these high performers based upon only a single test informs regarding recruitment for law enforcement agencies worldwide.
by rbartels | Jun 30, 2022 | Publications
In Nov 2020, Hannah Merdian (and colleagues) had a paper published in Psychology, Crime, and Law. The paper examines the feasibility of integrating Hannah’s CSEM pathways tool into treatment.
Merdian, H. L., Perkins, D. P., McCashin, D., & Stefanovic, J. (2020). Integrating structured individual offending pathway analysis into group treatment for individuals who have accessed, shared, and/or distributed child sexual exploitation material: A feasibility study and preliminary outcome evaluation. Update: The paper is now in print form
Abstract
The Child Sexual Exploitation Material Pathways Tool (CPT) is a case formulation tool that guides a systematic exploration of the learning history, current personal situation, and offending behaviour of individuals who have been arrested, cautioned, and/or sentenced for accessing, downloading, distributing, and/or sharing of child sexual exploitation material. Based on the RE-AIM principles, a feasibility study was conducted to test the integration of the CPT as part of a community treatment group in comparison to treatment-as-usual. Based on qualitative feedback from the participants and group facilitators, the study evidenced that participants (and service staff) can be successfully recruited for this intervention, that the intervention has perceived positive effects, and that it can be integrated into treatment-as-usual. The study also highlighted critical issues in the quantitative evaluation of feasibility studies in a forensic context and with regards to the CPT specifically. Limitations of the study are the small sample size and the number of drop-outs over time. Findings are discussed with regards to planned revisions to the CPT and research developments towards a randomised controlled trial.
by rbartels | Jun 30, 2022 | Publications
In Dec 2020, Amanda Roberts (and colleagues) published a new paper entitled “Social impact bonds in the UK homeless sector: Perspectives of front-line link workers” in the ‘Housing, Care and Support’ journal. The abstract is below:
Purpose
Social impact bonds (SIBs) have become a favoured way to fund public services, including housing, prison and homelessness projects, in an era of austerity. In a growing critical literature on SIBs, a largely absent voice is that of the link worker. This paper aims to focus on the views of link workers in a SIB funded project which works with long-term entrenched rough sleepers in the East of England.
Design/methodology/approach
Interviews with link workers were conducted with a thematic analysis echoing many of the views expressed in the critical literature not only about the problems but also some of the advantages that SIBs offer to this type of project.
Findings
Three key themes were discomfort with the funding mechanism; flexible and innovative interventions that SIBs make possible; and problems with the outcome measures that trigger payments. This study concludes that if SIBs are to achieve their promise of providing funding which leads to effective solutions to deeply ingrained social problems, there needs to be more careful evaluation of their true benefits in comparison to publicly funded projects, adoption of more appropriate and project-specific outcome measures and a much clearer explanation and justification of the way in which SIB funding works.
Originality/value
Few studies have specifically explored the perceptions of front-line link workers in the homelessness sector. This study highlights not only the concerns but also the benefits associated with the use of SIB as a funding mechanism within the homelessness sector.
by rbartels | Jun 30, 2022 | Publications
Congrats to Matthew King-Parker (PhD student) who published a review article on the “Psychology of Domestic Burglary” in the December (2020) issue of the PsyPAG Quarterly.
PsyPAG is a national organisation (funded by the BPS) for all psychology postgraduates based at UK Institutions, and The Quarterly is their official journal.
by rbartels | Jun 30, 2022 | Publications
In August, Ross (and graduate Maja Henek) published an open-access paper (in the SOTRAP journal) examining whether sexual fantasies about adult women dressed as schoolgirls is associated with child sexual abuse proclivity.
Henek, M., & Bartels, R. M. (2020). Adult-as-schoolgirl sexual fantasies: Investigating their relationship with sexual interest in children within a male sample. Sexual Offending: Theory, Research, & Prevention, 15, https://doi.org/10.5964/sotrap.3069
by rbartels | Jun 30, 2022 | Publications
In A
ugust 2020, Hannah published a new, open-access paper with her colleagues in the SOTRAP journal:
Garrington, C., Merdian, H.L., & Boer, D. P. (2020) Variables influencing the case prioritisation of men convicted of internet child abuse material offences. Sexual Offending: Theory, Research, & Prevention, 15 (1)
The paper can be found at: https://sotrap.psychopen.eu/index.php/sotrap/article/view/3065
by rbartels | Jun 30, 2022 | Publications
In July 2020, Ross Bartels published a new book with Routledge (with external co-editors Geri Akerman and Derek Perkins).
The book is entitled: “Assessing and Managing Problematic Sexual Interests: A Practitioner’s Guide“, and includes a chapter on assessing sexual fantasies by Ross. It also contains a chapter written by Charlotte Wesson (ex-PhD student) and Todd Hogue on eye-based measures of sexual interest.
by rbartels | Jun 30, 2022 | Publications
In August 2020, Dr Georgina Gous, in collaboration with Dr Robin Kramer and others, published a new paper examining face familiarity and image-specific memory in ‘Perception’.
Abstract:
Face familiarity produces advantages for both memory and matching. By developing an internal representation through repeated experience, viewers extract identity-specific information that aids subsequent recognition. However, researchers have recently argued that this process may also result in a familiarity disadvantage, whereby specific instances of the face are more difficult to remember, perhaps due to this process of prioritising identity- over image-specific information. Although previous experiments found no evidence of this disadvantage in working memory, initial research has demonstrated an effect in longer term storage. Here, we attempted to replicate this finding by focussing on the ability to learn images of a single (un)familiar identity. Our results failed to demonstrate a familiarity disadvantage while replicating the finding that familiarity influences response bias. As researchers continue to investigate how familiarity alters both internal representations and associated processes, it is important to establish which processes may or may not be affected.
by rbartels | Jun 30, 2022 | Publications
In July 2
020, Amanda Roberts (and other UK academics) wrote to secretaries of state regarding funding of gambling research, education and treatment.
Their open letter has been published in the BMJ. The details are as follows:
“Open letter from UK based academic scientists to the secretaries of state for digital, culture, media and sport and for health and social care regarding the need for independent funding for the prevention and treatment of gambling harms. British Medical Journal, 2020;370:m2613
It can be found here: https://www.bmj.com/content/bmj/370/bmj.m2613.full.pdf
by rbartels | Apr 9, 2020 | Publications
Dr Ross Bartels (and ex-student Abbie Marono) have had a new paper published in Psychology, Crime, and Law entitled ‘Examining the judgments of paedophiles in relation to a non-sexual offense
Although pedophilia is not synonymous with child sexual abuse, it remains a highly stigmatized phenomenon. As such, non-offending pedophilic individuals are judged as being dangerous, abnormal, amoral, and in need of punishment. It is unknown, however, whether a pedophilic individual would be judged more harshly than people with a different sexual orientation regarding a nonsexual, nonviolent offense. This was the aim of the present study. A final sample of 309 participants were recruited online and allocated to one of three sexual orientation conditions. Participants read the same hypothetical crime report (breaking and entering) followed by a suspect profile that was identical across conditions except for sexual orientation. They then provided sentencing and moral character judgements of the suspect. Participants also completed a punitive attitudes scale pertaining to pedophilia. Results showed that the pedophilic individual received harsher judgments relative to the heterosexual individual, but only at higher levels of pre-existing punitive attitudes. These findings suggest that anti-pedophilia stigma can bias judgments about offenses that are not sexual. We argue that this is due to a ‘reverse halo effect’. However, we consider an alternative explanation based on the idea of interpreting information in a schema-consistent manner.
