An Innovative Approach to Assessing Implicit Processes in Physical Abuse Risk

描述（由申请人提供）：本R15区域提案旨在通过以下方式推进儿童身体虐待（CPA）犯罪的研究：1）开发一种创新的方法来研究与攻击行为相关的内隐信息处理，2）贡献新的发现，阐明挑衅，模糊和失去如何影响CPA风险父母的信息处理和攻击行为，和3）促进培训的研究生和本科生在北方伊利诺伊大学的程序性研究，利用国家的最先进的技术，以检查信息处理的家长在风险的注册会计师。澄清与CPA犯罪风险相关的近端认知因素，对于寻求制定更有效的干预和预防方案的努力至关重要。然而，用于评估认知处理的方法“在线”在亲子互动缺乏。为了满足这一需求，我们开发了一种新的创新方法，即文字游戏，用于评估父母参与允许攻击行为的竞争性任务时的内隐认知过程。文字游戏整合了用于评估隐式信息过程的成熟技术（例如，词汇决策任务）转化为用于研究攻击性的现有范例（例如，Taylor Aggression Paradigm）。文字游戏中的参与者被引导相信他们正在与另一个玩家进行竞争性反应时间任务（例如，一个孩子）。反应时任务涉及一系列词汇决策试验，词汇决策试验的结果用于检查所选图式的可及性（例如，游戏中的控制力（控制力）。初步数据表明，文字游戏是：1）敏感的变化，内隐过程（即，图式可及性的变化）的过程中的互动，和2）能够引起攻击倾向的父母在CPA的风险，尽管控制性质的实验室设置。鉴于我们的初步研究结果的承诺，我们建议进行两项研究，利用文字游戏，以检查内隐信息的过程和侵略行为的父母在CPA的风险，因为他们与一个虚构的儿童玩家。我们假设，与低CPA风险相比，高CPA风险的父母将：1）表现出更高水平的攻击性，2）在游戏中表现出更大的消极和控制相关图式的可及性，3）对模棱两可和失败的反应更强烈，4）将更多的敌意动机归因于模棱两可的孩子和他们经常输给的孩子，5）在与孩子互动时，他们会报告更多的敌意动机。 公共卫生相关性：儿童身体虐待是一个重大的公共卫生问题，对个人、家庭和社会造成广泛的后果和巨大的代价。这项拟议中的研究旨在促进对父母对儿童攻击性的根本原因的理解。揭示导致父母攻击行为的内隐信息过程，有望提高我们预防儿童身体虐待和促进非攻击性父母行为的能力。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This R15 AREA proposal seeks to advance the study of child physical abuse (CPA) perpetration by: 1) developing an innovative methodology for studying implicit information processes associated with aggressive behavior, 2) contributing new findings that clarify how provocation, ambiguity, and losing influence information processing and aggressive behavior in parents at risk for CPA, and 3) promoting training of graduate and undergraduate students at Northern Illinois University in programmatic research that utilizes state-of-the art techniques to examine information processing in parents at risk for CPA. Clarification of the proximal cognitive factors associated with risk for CPA perpetration is essential to efforts that seek to develop more effective intervention and prevention programs. However, methods for assessing cognitive processing "on-line" during parent-child interactions are lacking. To address this need, we developed a new and innovative methodology, the Word Game, for assessing implicit cognitive processes while parents are engaged in a competitive task that allows for aggressive behavior. The Word Game integrates well-established techniques for assessing implicit information processes (e.g., lexical decision making tasks) into an existing paradigm used to study aggression (e.g., Taylor Aggression Paradigm). Participants in the Word Game are led to believe that they are engaged in a competitive reaction time task with another player (e.g., a child). The reaction time task involves a series of lexical decision making trials, with the latencies on the lexical decision making trials used to examine accessibility of selected schema (e.g., hostility, control) throughout the game. Preliminary data indicate that the Word Game is: 1) sensitive to changes in implicit processes (i.e., shifts in schema accessibility) over the course of an interaction, and 2) capable of eliciting aggressive propensities in parents at risk for CPA despite the controlled nature of the laboratory setting. Given the promise of our preliminary findings, we propose to conduct two studies utilizing the Word Game to examine implicit information processes and aggressive behavior in parents at risk for CPA as they interact with a fictitious child player. We hypothesize that high, compared to low, CPA risk parents will: 1) display higher levels of aggression, 2) evince greater accessibility of negative and control-related schema as they play, 3) will be more reactive to ambiguity and losing, 4) will attribute more hostile motives to ambiguous children and children to whom they lose often, and 5) will report more hostile motives themselves as they interact with children. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Child physical abuse represents a public health concern of major scope, with far ranging consequences and significant costs to individuals, families, and society. The proposed research aims to advance understanding of the underlying causes of parental aggression toward children. Explication of the implicit information processes that give rise to parental aggression holds the promise of advancing our ability to prevent child physical abuse and promote non-aggressive parenting practices.