Posted on 05/25/2014 12:50:22 PM PDT by billorites
Pedophiles’ brains are “abnormally tuned” to find young children attractive, according to a new study published this week. The research, led by Jorge Ponseti at Germany’s University of Kiel, means that it may be possible to diagnose pedophiles in the future before they are able to offend.
The findings, published in scientific journal Biology Letters, discovered that pedophiles have the same neurological reaction to images of those they find attractive as those of people with ordinary sexual predilections, but that all the relevant cerebral areas become engaged when they see children, as opposed to fellow adults. The occipital areas, prefrontal cortex, putamen, and nucleus caudatus become engaged whenever a person finds another attractive, but the subject of this desire is inverted for pedophiles.
While studies into the cognitive wiring of sex offenders have long been a source of debate, this latest research offers some fairly conclusive proof that there is a neural pattern behind their behavior.
The paper explains: “The human brain contains networks that are tuned to face processing, and these networks appear to activate different processing streams of the reproductive domain selectively: nurturing processing in the case of child faces and sexual processing in the case of sexually preferred adult faces. This implies that the brain extracts age-related face cues of the preferred sex that inform appropriate response selection in the reproductive domains: nurturing in the case of child faces and mating in the case of adult faces.”
Usually children’s faces elicit feelings of caregiving from both sexes, whereas those of adults provide stimuli in choosing a mate. But among pedophiles, this trend is skewed, with sexual, as opposed to nurturing, emotions burgeoning.
The study analyzed the MRI scans of 56 male participants, a group that included 13 homosexual pedophiles and 11 heterosexual pedophiles, exposing them to “high arousing” images of men, women, boys, and girls. Participants then ranked each photo for attractiveness, leading researchers to their conclusion that the brain network of pedophiles is activated by sexual immaturity.
“The critical new finding is that face processing is also tuned to face cues revealing the developmental stage that is sexually preferred,” the paper reads.
Usually children’s faces elicit feelings of caregiving from both sexes, but among pedophiles, this trend is skewed, with sexual, as opposed to nurturing, emotions burgeoning. Dr. James Cantor, associate professor at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Medicine, said he was “delighted” by the study’s results. “I have previously described pedophilia as a ‘cross-wiring’ of sexual and nurturing instincts, and this data neatly verifies that interpretation.”
Cantor has undertaken extensive research into the area, previously finding that pedophiles are more likely to be left-handed, 2.3 cm shorter than the average male, and 10 to 15 IQ points lower than the norm.
He continued: “This [new] study is definitely a step in the right direction, and I hope other researchers repeat this kind of work. There still exist many contradictions among scientists’ observations, especially in identifying exactly which areas of the brain are the most central to pedophilia. Because financial support for these kinds of studies is quite small, these studies have been quite small, permitting them to achieve only incremental progress. Truly definitive studies about what in the brain causes pedophilia, what might detect it, and what might prevent it require much more significant support.”
Ponseti said that he hoped to investigate this area further by examining whether findings could be emulated when images of children’s faces are the sole ones used. This could lead to gauging a person’s predisposition to pedophilia far more simply than any means currently in place. “We could start to look at the onset of pedophilia, which is probably in puberty at about 12 or 14 years [old],” he told The Independent.
While Cantor is correct in citing the less than abundant size of the study, the research is certainly significant in providing scope for future practicable testing that could reduce the number of pedophilic crimes committed. By being able to run these tests and examine a person’s tendency toward being sexually attracted to underage children, rehabilitative care and necessary precautions could be taken to safeguard children and ensure that those at risk of committing a crime of this ilk would not be able to do so.
Following the horrors of the Sandusky scandal and the endless conveyor belt of children kidnapped as sex slaves, finding the root of the problem and stopping it in any way possible has never been more important.
Well who didn’t see this coming. So their born this way and can’t help it, just like gays.
HORSE SHIT
Weird but even 18 would be too be young for me now, I kind of liked the chubby lady at the convenience store. I’m too young to be old!!!
That is why they should be put to death. There is no rehab for this mental deformity that causes its victims suffering and many times, death.
> Word to the world: It’s called “Sin Nature”. WE are ALL wired to sin (proclivity,not a specific sin).<
Exactly!!
What an asinine article and title to an article. Of course they are wired that way, the question is HOW they got wired that way.....
May I suggest that their thoughts and activities wire their brains that way. Neuroplacticity. Our thought and action change our brains. It’s called learning.
The problem is that these days, what seems to be the majority of 30 year-old women, are divorced, have 5 tattoos, fat, a drinking problem, and 3 kids by 3 different absent fathers.
I truly believe my only hope is to embrace my inner Amishness and see how I make out with the Yoder girls... no FR would kinda suck, though.
Some are single and sarcastic, humor makes the chubby ones cute
The study included people from all spectrums of society regarding their sexuality. But the article failed to differentiate the age range of children considered to be pediatric vs the post-pubescent stage of their lives.
I can tell by articles in newspapers and also some of the responses in this blog, that their is some confusion with the term pedophile. For example - take Jerry Sandusky. He was not technically a pedophile, as he is/was attracted to young boys who were past the defined age group of pediatrics, i.e. post-pubescent. This group begins at about age 12-13 for boys, and 10-13 for girls.
The sexual abuse scandals of the RC church clergy was nearly 85% that of priests with post-pubescent males. This is certainly ad abuse and very serious in nature - yet it should be more properly classified as a homosexual form of abuse upon minor males (not little boys).
When comedians make jokes about priests being pedophiles, they are mostly inaccurate, but with todays PC police it would not seem so funny to called these priests homosexuals, would it? But, that is/was the primary cause of the great majority of abuse cases in the church.
I suppose this study was done at government expense by the same ‘scientists’ who discovered that the Sun rises in the East.
It’s hard to credit that anyone ever doubted that a pedophile’s brain is wired differently when it comes to sexual preferences.
good point
Pedophilia is defined as a primary or exclusive attraction to pre-adolescant children (i.e. 12 and under), so no.
It's a bummer when you realize that the girls in the Victoria's Secret catalog are young enough to be your daughters.
I thought the supposed correlation with left-handedness was a bit of a stretch. Just what percentage of the population is left-handed, and with the size of the study, was the group large enough to really come to such a conclusion? When you are breaking down all the groups, and then you add right vs left - handed people, it would seem that the size of the sample would need to be enormous.
Let me add, in no way this should be normalized. The definition of pedophile is someone attracted to persons 12 and under. Sexual relations should start off by giving one’s consent and at 12 and under, they are not physically or mentally able to give consent so thus, this should not be normalized. Those accused and found guilty should be in jail (I do not believe in capital punishment) for a long time and kept to their own wing.
Well now, it appears that we have a method for Pedophile screening. Rewiring could now be applied as preventative measure. ;)
Well put!
I’m not bummed by it, it just is
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