Measuring Implicit Theories of Intimate Partner Violence Using a Lexical Decision Task

• In Event: Roundtable: Studies on Intimate Partner and Domestic Violence

Abstract

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious problem for both men and women in the United States. However, most studies on IPV have focused on populations of male offenders and female victims. Further, research usually employs self-report measures that may conflate IPV-conducive cognitions with social desirability and other biases. The present study investigates a subset of unconscious cognitions known as implicit theories (ITs). Thirty-three male and female university students completed a cognitive measure known as a lexical decision task (LDT), which uses participants’ reaction times to gauge the degree of support for statements related to IPV. Participants then completed the Conflict Tactics Scale to measure experiences with relationship abuse. Participants who experienced high IPV both as perpetrators and victims were more likely to endorse statements supporting the “It’s Not My Fault” IT, which measures deferred or minimized blame. Males were also more likely to demonstrate the “Gender Norms” IT. Gender was unrelated to all other ITs. Implications for treatment and research are discussed, as is the value of using novel tools like the LDT to measure otherwise elusive cognitive structures supporting some types of deviant behavior.

Author

• Caitlin Ducate, Indiana University