“What’s the verdict?”: Measuring differences in students’ attitudes towards Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and non-ASD sex offenders.

Durner, Theodore (2019) “What’s the verdict?”: Measuring differences in students’ attitudes towards Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and non-ASD sex offenders. University of Derby. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

The previous research has neglected to measure attitudes towards ASD sex offenders. The current study used a 20-item, 5-point Likert scale questionnaire, created by the researcher, to measure and compare the differences in attitudes of undergraduate students towards ASD and non-ASD sex offenders. The two participant groups were provided with separate vignettes to read regarding a fictional sex offender; and they then completed the three-section questionnaire.Independent Sample T-Tests in SPSS software was used to calculate the mean and significance of the participants’ scores between the ASD and the control group. Results showed a significant difference in scores between the ASD and control group for section 1, which was directly pertinent to the vignettes, but no significant differences were found in sections 2, 3 or in the total questionnaire scores. This research discusses the implications of leniency towards ASD sex offenders in government legislation and in jury-settings.