Current Projects

Criminal Histories of Hate Crime Suspects: A Replication and Extension

Principle Investigators: Dunbar, Crèvecoeur, and Quinones

This study has examined the frequency, rapidity of recurrence, and severity of the criminal histories of suspects apprehended in the commission of a hate crime in Los Angeles in 2004.

Eighty-seven suspect rap sheets were examined an coded in terms of the severity of the prior history for criminal behavior, evidence of risk for violence, and the relationship of the severity of the hate crime to subsequent criminal infractions.

The study is currently in a data analysis phase, with the intention to determine if the results replicate the Dunbar, Crevecour, & Quinones (2003) rap sheet study.

Use of a Think Aloud Approach to Examine Attitudes about Hate Crime and Human Rights Laws

Principle Investigators: Dunbar and Horcajo

This is a cross-cultural (Spain – US) analysis of subject’s ability to spontaneously evaluate and process their thoughts and feelings about interactions with their peers pertaining to hate and human rights laws.

This study uses Davison’s Articulated Thoughts in Simulated Situations (ATSS) along with other self-report measures, to determine the tolerance of diverse arguments that both support and reject the legitimacy of hate and human rights laws.

The Spain data collection and analysis has been completed. The US sample is presently being gathered at UCLA. The data collection in the US will continue until October 1, 2006.

Implicit Attitudes of Self-Perception of Bias Orientation

Principle Investigators: Dunbar, Horcajo, and Convery

This study examines the characteristics associated with Implicit Association Test findings for self-perception of being oriented towards outgroup bias

Using the ATSS software program, data is being collected with a psychotherapy outpatient sample, an outpatient psychiatric sample, and a non-clinical university subject sample.

In the two clinical samples, the relationship of IAT self-perception of bias orientation with expressed outgroup attitudes and psychometric ratings of psychopathology. In the university subject group, we are examining whether or not individuals can manipulate their responses on the IAT to appear explicitly less bias-oriented.

This on-going study will continue until December 1, 2006.

The Presence of Aversive, Ambivalent, and Empathic Associations to Outgroups Amongst a Sample of Cleric Abuse Claimants

Principle Investigators: Dunbar and Sullaway

This study is based upon clinical interviews of claimants in a class action lawsuit involving childhood sexual abuse (CSA).

The interviews (n=36) were conducted to gather information on the severity of CSA, current psychiatric symptoms and functional impairment as rated on the GAF and GARF scales. Additionally coding and subsequent inter-rater reliability study in the classification of associations to outgroups was conducted, using the Outgroup Hostility and Outgroup Empathy scales.

Results of these interviews and ratings are currently being prepared for publication