Les apports de la réalité virtuelle et de la vidéo-oculographie à l’évaluation des intérêts sexuels
Penile plethysmography is considered to be the most rigorous method for sexual interest assessment. The instrument could however benefit from improvements in terms of its ecological validity and vulnerability to faking attempts. This tool also faces ethical and legal constraints related to the presentation of stimuli depicting human subjects to entice sexual arousal. This doctoral thesis seeks to address penile plethysmography’s shortcomings by combining it with computer-generated stimuli presented in virtual immersion as well as eye-tracking devices.  A first empirical study was conducted to determine whether the presentation of computer-generated stimuli in virtual immersion is preferable to the auditory modality currently being used. Erectile responses from child molesters and men without sexual deviances were recorded and the ability of both modalities to generate sexual arousal profiles and deviance differentials indicative of sexual interests were compared. In a second experimental study, eye-movements were explored in an attempt to identify the presence of cognitive strategies responsible for erectile inhibition during the plethysmographic procedure. Erectile responses and eye-movements of men without criminal records were recorded when viewing stimuli under three different conditions, including an erectile inhibition task. Overall, results show that the presentation of computer-generated stimuli in virtual immersion generates sexual arousal profiles and deviance differentials, which allow significantly higher classification accuracy and discriminant performance than the auditory modality. Results also highlight the possibility, through eye-movement analyses, to identify an ocular signature specific to the use of cognitive strategies for erectile inhibition, which is characterized by a partial avoidance of the sexual content and a general deceleration of the visual exploration process. This project exposes the benefits inherent to the presentation of computer-generated stimuli in virtual immersion and the use of eye-tracking devices for penile plethysmography assessments and supports the progressive implementation of this modality in clinical settings.
Sexual interests Penile plethysmography Computer-generated stimuli Virtual reality Eye-tracking Ocular dynamic Erectile inhibition Child molesters