Evaluating Community Sex Offender Treatment Programs: A 12-Year Follow-Up of 724 Offenders.

Although some studies suggest positive effects of treatment for sexual offenders, most studies have been hampered by the unknown influence of selective attrition (e.g., volunteers and drop-outs). In the 1980s, the Correctional Service of Canada began to require weekly community treatment sessions for all sex offenders released in the Pacific Region. This policy change provided a unique opportunity for comparing an unselected cohort of treated sex offenders (n = 403) to an untreated cohort (n = 321) released in earlier years. After an average 12-year follow-up period, no differences were observed in the rates of sexual (21.1% vs 21.8%), violent (42.9% vs. 44.5%) or general (any) recidivism (56.6% vs 60.4%) for treated and untreated groups, respectively. The outcome remained comparable after controlling for length of follow- up, year of release, age, and seven static risk factors coded from official criminal history records. Retrospective ratings of the treatment quality also showed no relationship to observed recidivism rates. The static risk factors coded in the current study accounted for considerable variance in recidivism and could easily be used to improve statistical controls in future evaluations. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological androgyny and the Masculinity?×?Femininity interaction.

Clarifies 3 proposed models of psychological androgyny, since recent discussions have been flawed by misunderstandings of the nature of statistical interaction. The additive model predicts main effects of masculinity (M) and femininity (F). The balance model predicts only M?×?F interaction. The emergent properties model predicts by effects and M?×?F interaction. The interaction effect assessed in a 2?×?2 ANOVA by a multiplicative M?×?F term in regression is compared with the absolute value of the M?×?F difference in regression. It is concluded that ANOVA and multiplicative interaction terms are generally satisfactory operationalizations of balance (though each has strengths and weaknesses), whereas the absolute difference term yields unpredictable results and should be avoided in most situations. (16 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Attitude changes in children after exposure to stories about women in traditional or nontraditional occupations.

Previous research has demonstrated that children's literature frequently presents girls and women only in limited, "traditional" roles, with the result that girls exposed to such literature may limit their own self-perceptions and aspirations. In an experiment with 4th graders, 29 girls were read 2 stories with women in traditional roles or 2 with women in nontraditional roles. Attitude changes were measured by a picture-choice test, 2 job checklists, and 2 adjective checklists. As predicted, girls who heard nontraditional stories rated traditionally male jobs and characteristics as appropriate for females more than girls who heard traditional stories. Results underline the importance of nonsexist books and textbooks in widening girls' aspirations and self-images. (9 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Psychological androgyny: Theories, methods, and conclusions.

Methodological and conceptual problems in existing psychological androgyny research are illuminated by application of the 2-way ANOVA model, which views masculinity and femininity as a pair of crossed independent variables, with androgynous, male-typed, female-typed, and undifferentiated sex-role categories represented in the cells of the resultant 2-by-2 table. Foremost among previously overlooked theoretical points is that the J. T. Spence et al (see record 1975-27536-001) "high/high" and the S. L. Bem (see record 1974-27631-001) "balance" androgyny formulations represent 2 independent hypotheses, a main effects hypothesis and an interaction hypothesis. Androgyny research findings are summarized in terms of the effects and interaction predicted by these theories. There is no evidence of consistent interaction effects favoring the balanced over the sex typed. Furthermore, the consistency and strength of the masculinity effect relative to the femininity effect suggest that masculinity rather than main effects androgyny predicts psychological well-being. The data provide no support for the traditional model that masculinity is best for men and femininity best for women. (107 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)