Kristina Haran | University of California, Merced (original) (raw)
Research Assistant at University of California, Merced
Supervisors: Jeff Gilger, Alexander Khislavsky, and Meagan Altman
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Papers by Kristina Haran
I n the late 1800s to the early 1900s, pedophilia was considered a sexual perversion for weak min... more I
n the late 1800s to the early 1900s,
pedophilia was considered a sexual
perversion for weak minded people.
With its official addition to the DSMII
(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders- II) in 1952,
pedophilia began to be viewed by experts
as a mental disorder. Within the past
few decades, a collection of research
has been devoted to gaining a better
understanding of how pedophilia can
be detected and what are its causes.
Research concludes that the pedophilic
brain is different from the brain of a
healthy person in a few different aspects.
This review first considers different
methods for determining if a person
has pedophilic tendencies such as IATs
(Implicit Association Tests), phallocentric
testing, and fMRIs (functional magnetic
resonance imaging. Then this paper looks
at identified differences in the pedophilic
brain such as abnormalities in the frontal
cortex and the amount of gray and white
mater. Lastly this paper outlines hormone
treatment and its negative effect on
pedophilic compulsions. With further
understanding of pedophilia, better
treatments, even cures can be produced.
Keywords: Pedophilia, White/Gray
Matter, Testosterone, Frontal Cortex,
Phallometric Testing
This project attempted to replicate Elliot et al. (2010) in collaboration with the Collaboration ... more This project attempted to replicate Elliot et al. (2010) in collaboration with the Collaboration
Replication and Education Project (CREP). Elliot et al.’s (2010) experiment examined the
influence of seeing the color red on volunteers’ perceptions/appraisals of others. In the present
study, female undergraduate volunteers, self-identifying as heterosexual and non-colorblind,
were recruited (N = 175). Participants were randomly assigned to view a photograph of man with
a red or grey background for 10 seconds. Volunteers then completed surveys to rate the man’s
attractiveness on several different features of attractiveness (e.g., sexual desirability,
extraversion, likability, agreeableness, and status/power). Two independent series of two-way
ANOVAs were conducted using condition (red vs. grey) as the primary independent variable of
interest. The second independent variable was the volunteers’ ethnicity and relationship status,
respectively. Unlike Elliot et al. (2010), this study did not find any significant interaction
between color and perceived attractiveness. This could be due to the wide ethnic difference of
participants between the two studies. Caucasian participants and participants who were in a
casually dating were most likely to rate higher levels of perceived sexual desirability.
Implications for research and differences between the studies are discussed. Further research
should be conducted in order to determine the effect of ethnicity and relationship status on
perceived attractiveness.
Keywords: Attraction, Color, Red, Perceptions, Attractiveness, First Impression
I n the late 1800s to the early 1900s, pedophilia was considered a sexual perversion for weak min... more I
n the late 1800s to the early 1900s,
pedophilia was considered a sexual
perversion for weak minded people.
With its official addition to the DSMII
(Diagnostic and Statistical Manual
of Mental Disorders- II) in 1952,
pedophilia began to be viewed by experts
as a mental disorder. Within the past
few decades, a collection of research
has been devoted to gaining a better
understanding of how pedophilia can
be detected and what are its causes.
Research concludes that the pedophilic
brain is different from the brain of a
healthy person in a few different aspects.
This review first considers different
methods for determining if a person
has pedophilic tendencies such as IATs
(Implicit Association Tests), phallocentric
testing, and fMRIs (functional magnetic
resonance imaging. Then this paper looks
at identified differences in the pedophilic
brain such as abnormalities in the frontal
cortex and the amount of gray and white
mater. Lastly this paper outlines hormone
treatment and its negative effect on
pedophilic compulsions. With further
understanding of pedophilia, better
treatments, even cures can be produced.
Keywords: Pedophilia, White/Gray
Matter, Testosterone, Frontal Cortex,
Phallometric Testing
This project attempted to replicate Elliot et al. (2010) in collaboration with the Collaboration ... more This project attempted to replicate Elliot et al. (2010) in collaboration with the Collaboration
Replication and Education Project (CREP). Elliot et al.’s (2010) experiment examined the
influence of seeing the color red on volunteers’ perceptions/appraisals of others. In the present
study, female undergraduate volunteers, self-identifying as heterosexual and non-colorblind,
were recruited (N = 175). Participants were randomly assigned to view a photograph of man with
a red or grey background for 10 seconds. Volunteers then completed surveys to rate the man’s
attractiveness on several different features of attractiveness (e.g., sexual desirability,
extraversion, likability, agreeableness, and status/power). Two independent series of two-way
ANOVAs were conducted using condition (red vs. grey) as the primary independent variable of
interest. The second independent variable was the volunteers’ ethnicity and relationship status,
respectively. Unlike Elliot et al. (2010), this study did not find any significant interaction
between color and perceived attractiveness. This could be due to the wide ethnic difference of
participants between the two studies. Caucasian participants and participants who were in a
casually dating were most likely to rate higher levels of perceived sexual desirability.
Implications for research and differences between the studies are discussed. Further research
should be conducted in order to determine the effect of ethnicity and relationship status on
perceived attractiveness.
Keywords: Attraction, Color, Red, Perceptions, Attractiveness, First Impression