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Quinsey, Vernon L. & Laws, D. R.

Validity of physiological measures of pedophilic sexual arousal in a sexual offender population: A critique of Hall, Proctor, and Nelson

Journal of Consulting & Clinical Psychology, Vol 58 (6), 886-888 (1990)

It is argued that methodological problems in comparison by G. C. Hall et al (see PA, Vol 75:20414) of phallometric data on child molestors and rapists include confounding of stimulus category and duration, omission of neutral stimuli and a normal control group, failure to employ relative measures of sexual preference, and failure to exclude subjects who did not respond to the sexual stimuli. V. L. Quinsey and D. R. Laws maintain that, although these methodological problems preclude accepting the conclusions drawn in the Hall et al article, the problems illustrate the need to develop common methodological standards for phallometric research on sexual offenders. - Journal abstract.

(PA 78:10127)