Remarkable differential verbal and non-verbal/performance cognitive profiles in homicide and sexual offenders with adult victims

Introduction: On average prison populations show lower cognitive scores than the general population, but it is also acknowledged that inmates are highly heterogenous and that verbal and non-verbal ability scores might uncover differential patterns. Method: We consider 140 participants divided into f...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Urruela, Carlota, Pérez Reigosa, Gabriela, Herrero, Óscar, Escorial Martín, Sergio, Colom, Roberto
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Fecha de publicación:2025
País:España
Institución:Universidad Complutense de Madrid (UCM)
Repositorio:Docta Complutense
Idioma:inglés
OAI Identifier:oai:docta.ucm.es:20.500.14352/117905
Acceso en línea:https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/117905
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Intelligence
Verbal abilities
Non-verbal abilities
Violence
Offenders
Inteligencia
Habilidades verbales
Habilidades no verbales
Violencia
Agresores
Aptitudes e inteligencia (Psicología)
Psicología legal
6104.01 Procesos Cognitivos
6105.02 Diseño Experimental
Descripción
Sumario:Introduction: On average prison populations show lower cognitive scores than the general population, but it is also acknowledged that inmates are highly heterogenous and that verbal and non-verbal ability scores might uncover differential patterns. Method: We consider 140 participants divided into five groups: controls, non-sexual and nonhomicidal inmates (other inmates), sex offenders with adult victims (AVS) and child victims (CVS), and homicide offenders. All participants completed two WAIS-III subtests to obtain reliable estimates of their verbal and non-verbal abilities. The quotient ‘matrices/similarities’ (UIQ) was also computed. Results: Homicide and AVS offenders showed lower general scores than controls; AVS and homicide offenders showed lower non-verbal scores than controls; homicide offenders showed lower verbal scores than the other groups; and homicide, AVS offenders and “other inmates” were the most dissimilar groups regarding UIQ. Conclusions: The findings support the relevance of distinguishing among criminal offenders to avoid unwarranted generalizations when cognitive abilities are considered.