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WHAT WILL BE COVERED

• The crucial role of measurement in science

• Variables measured by the CTS

• History of the CTS

• Theoretical basis

• Measurement strategy

• Reliability and validity

• Uses of the CTS

• Criticisms of the CTS and attempts to ban the CTS

• The controversy about partner violence (PV) by women

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• To understand any field of science, requires understanding of the way the it measures what it studies

• No one can be an astronomer without understanding the Hubble space telescope – revolutionized astronomy

• No one can understand family violence as a field of science without understanding the CTS Applies regardless of opinion of the CTS A large part of what is known about family violence is

based on data obtained with the CTS

THE ROLE OF MEASUREMENT IN SCIENCE

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RESEARCH USING THE CTS• 10+ Books• 600+ Scientific Journal Articles• 5+ Scientific Journal Articles Published every month

• These are minimum estimates

LIKE THE INVENTION OF THE TELESCOPE

• Could see things that could not be seen before, even though they were there

• Led to a tremendous expansion of research

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VARIABLES MEASURED BY THE CTS

CTS2 (FOR MEASURING RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN MARRIED OR DATING PARTNERS)

• PHYSICAL ASSAULT• INJURY• SEXUAL COERCION• PSYCHOLOGICAL AGGRESSION• NEGOTIATION

CTSPC (FOR MEASURING PARENT-T0-CHILD RELATIONSHIPS

Non-Violent DisciplinePhysical Assault

Minor = Corporal Punishment, Severe = Physical AbusePsychological Aggression

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Relationship BehaviorsNo matter how well a couple gets along, there are times when they disagree, get annoyed with the other person, want different things from each other, or just have spats or fights because they are in a bad mood, are tired, or for some other reason. Couples also have many different ways of trying to settle their differences. This is a list of things that might happen when you have differences. Please circle how many times you did each of these things in the past year, and how many times your partner did them in the past year. If you or your partner did not do one of these things in the past year, but if happened before that, circle “7.”

1 = Once in the past year 2 = Twice in the past year 3 = 3-5 times in the past year 4 = 6-10 times in the past year

5 = 11-20 times in the past year 6 = More than 20 times in past year

7 = Not in the past year, but it did happen before 0 = This has never happened

THE CONFLICT TACTICS SCALES (CTS2)

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HISTORY OF THE CTSILLUSTRATES THE INVESTMENT NEEDED

TO DEVELOP ADEQUATE MEASURES 

* QUALITATIVE EXPLORATION (1970-71)ACTS, VOCABULARY, MEANING

 * FORM A (1971-72)STUDENT RESPONDENT STUDYILLUSTRATES REPLICATION FOR SEVERAL ROLES

 * FORM N 1975 NATIONAL FAMILY VIOLENCE SURVEY R 1985 NATIONAL FAMILY VIOLENCE SURVEY

* MANY MODIFICATIONS BY OTHERS

REVISED CTS• CTS2, 1996• CTSPC, 1998• ADULT-RECALL/CHILD-REPORT VERSIONS, 1999• SHORT FORMS 2004

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THEORETICAL BASIS OF THE CTS

CONFLICT THEORY

CONFLICT VERSUS CONFLICT TACTICS

CTS MEASURES CONFLICT TACTICS, NOT CONFLICT, EXCEPT BY INFERENCE

EXAMPLE OF A MEASURE OF CONFLICT

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4. MEASUREMENT STRATEGY

   * MEASURES BEHAVIOR, NOT ATTITUDES OR MOTIVES* DISTINGUISHES BETWEEN ACTS AND INJURIES* INTENDED FOR USE WITH OTHER INSTRUMENTS* PROVIDES DATA ON MINOR AND SEVERE LEVELS

       * MODULAR AND SYMMETRICAL ( Analogous to a fully crossed experiment    

      

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RELIABILITY OF THE CTS

* PURPOSE: To explain the concept of reliability and how it is measured

• WHAT IS RELIABILITY?• The consistency of measurement• An instrument can be highly reliable and be consistently wrong

* INTERNAL CONSISTENCY RELIABILITYAlpha coefficient

      Factor StructureNot a necessary characteristic of a measure

* TEMPORAL CONSISTENCY RELIABILITYTest-Retest CorrelationAn essential characteristic of a measure - necessary

•* EXAMPLES OF HIGH RELIABILITY AND ZERO VALIDITY

Dot test for admission to graduate schoolColor as measure of wine quality

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  VALIDITY OF THE CTS

* WHAT IS VALIDITY The extent to which an instrument measures what it

is intended to measure

* MEASURES OF VALIDITY- Content Validity – spelling test example- High Disclosure Rate- Concurrent Validity

Correlation of partner reportsCorrelation with other instruments

- Construct Validity

`

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CTS RATE ISCOMPARISON OF CTS WITH GREATERNATIONAL CRIME VICTIMIZATION SURVEY 18 TIMES NATIONAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN SURVEY 15 TIMESCLIENTS OF COUPLE AND FAMILY THERAPY 4 TIMES NATIONAL CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT DATA SYSTEM 16 TIMESNATIONAL INCIDENCE STUDY OF CHILD ABUSE 8 TIMES

HIGH DISCLOSURE RATE

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WHY DOES THE CTS SECUREMORE DISCLOSURE? 

* CONTEXT OF LEGITIMATION (“WE ALL DO IT” APPROACH) EXCULPATORY INTRODUCTION HOW MANY TIMES DID YOU DO IT, NOT WHETHER DONE ASKS WHAT BOTH RESPONDENT AND PARTNER DID 

* FAMILY PROBLEMS CONTEXT RATHER THAN SAFETY, INJURY CRIME, OR FEAR 

• FOCUS IS ON BEHAVIOR RATHER THAN OUTCOMES SUCH AS INJURY (INJURY IS RELATIVELY RARE)

• AVOIDS DISPARAGING TERMS SUCH AS ABUSE OR VIOLENCE 

• ALSO MEASURES NEGOTIATION AND PSYCHOLOGICAL AGGRESSION, WHICH CAN JUSTIFY HITTING (TRIED EVERYTHING)

• DOES NOT DEPEND ON BEHAVIOR BEING KNOWN OR REPORTED BY OTHERS

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EXAMPLE OF CONCURRENT VALIDITY

WHY DOES THIS INDICATE VALIDITY?

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E

EXAMPLE OFCONSTRUCTVALIDITYEVIDENCE

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USE OF THE CTS2 TO MEASURE WHETHER GROUP TREATMENT WORKS TO REDUCE PARTNER VIOLENCE BY WOMEN WHO HAVE PTSD AND THOSE WHO DO NOT

WHAT DO THE RESULTS IN EACH ROW SHOW?

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Previous slides are a small fraction of the evidence showing that the CTS is a valid instrument - Hundreds of studies

At the same time many books and articles assert that the CTS is not valid and that it produces misleading results

Why? Studies using the CTS show that women perpetrate partner violence (PV) at about the same rate as men. Therefore the CTS must be invalid.

THE CTS AND THE CONTROVERSY ABOUT

VIOLENCE BY WOMEN

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CENSORSHIP OF SCIENCE WHEN IT CONFLICTS WITH DEEPLY HELD BELIEFS

OR CONTRADICTS THOSE IN POWER

• LATE 16th century: Rejection of the evidence from the newly invented telescope that the earth revolves around the sun (heliocentric nature of the solar system)

• LATE 20th century and continuing: Rejection of the evidence from the newly invented CTS that about the same percent of women assault their partners as men

• LATE 20th century and continuing: Rejection of the evidence that spanking children is harmful

• MANY OTHER EXAMPLESGlobal warmingEvolutionAbstinence only sex educationBoot camps and “Scared Straight”

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Scientists Accuse White House of Distorting FactsBy JAMES GLANZ New York Times February 18, 2004

The Bush administration has deliberately and systematically distorted scientific fact in the service of policy goals on the environment, health, biomedical research and nuclear weaponry at home and abroad, a group of about 60 influential scientists, including 20 Nobel laureates, said in a statement issued today.

The sweeping charges were later discussed in a conference call with some of thescientists that was organized by the Union of Concerned Scientists, an independentorganization that focuses on technical issues and has often taken stands at odds withadministration policy. The organization also issued a 37-page report today that it said detailed the accusations.

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GALILEO GALILEI• Born in Pisa, Italy in 1564. Professor of mathematics• Most famous invention was the telescope (1609)• Discovered the four satellites of Jupiter, observed a supernova, verified the

phases of Venus, and discovered sunspots• His discoveries proved the Copernican system which states that the earth and

other planets revolve around the sun• Was tried and sentenced to lifetime confinement in his home

BRUNO• Published book in 1585 defending the heliocentric theory of Copernicus• Was tried as a heretic. Even after a long imprisonment, would not recant• Burned at the stake

DIFFERENCE BETWEEN GALILEO AND BRUNO• Galileo was a prudent man and accepted his sentence• Bruno was a firebrand and insisted on defying the church

THE TELESCOPE AND THE “LIES” IT REVEALED

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THE CTS AND THE LIES THAT IT REVEALED

WOMEN PERPETRATE PARTNER VIOLENCEAT ABOUT THE SAME RATE AS MEN

U.S. NATIONAL FAMILY VIOLENCE SURVEYS, AS REPORTED BY WOMEN

ASSAULTS BY:Men

WOMEN A. MINOR ASSAULTS` 1975 8.6 8.3` 1985 7.2 7.4

1992 10.5 10.0

B. SEVERE ASSAULTS1975 4.1 4.41985 4.2 4.21992 2.4 2.9

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National Comorbidity Study. N = 3,537 age 15-54

(Kessler et al, 2001) PERCENT OF MEN AND WOMEN WHO

ASSAULTED A PARTNER IN PREVIOUS 12 MONTHS

ASSAULTS BY:MEN WOMEN

Minor assaults as reported by female partner 17.4% 17.7%

Severe assaults as reported by female partner 6.5% 6.2%

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0%

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

Mal

e Agg

ress

or

Fem

ale

Aggre

ssor

Both

Aggre

ss

MALE RESPONDENTSN=177

FEMALE RESPONDENTSN=376

ID12 E1a

Fig. 6. Couple Symmetry Types By Sex of Respondent (All Assaults)

Mal

e Agg

ress

or

Fem

ale

Aggre

ssor

Both

Aggre

ss

Chi-square = 1.803, p .406

N for Male Respondents = 177 (Male Aggressor=19, Female Aggressor=28, Both Aggress=130)

N for Female Respondents = 376 (Male Aggressor=35, Female Aggressor=77, Both Aggress=264)

UNIVERSITY OF TEXAS STUDENTS

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0

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

Other Disadvantaged Other Disadvantaged Other Disadvantaged

Assaults by Male Partner

Assaults by Female Partner

White

Hispanic African American

NATIONAL SURVEY OF HOUSEHOLD & FAMILIES (BENSON, FOX & DEMARIS, 2000)SUDIES USING

OTHER METHODS

WHAT ARE 3 RESULTS SHOWN?

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CANADIAN GOVERNMENT SURVEY, 1999

MEN WOMENASSAULTED BY A PARTNER IN LAST 5 YEARS 7% 8%

PHYSICALLY INJURED BY PARTNER 13% 40%

RECEIVED MEDICAL ATTENTION 3% 15%

FEARED FOR THEIR LIFE 7% 38%

Family Violence in Canada: A Statistical Profile 2000. Statistics Canada, July 2000. Publication 85-224-XIE

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BRITISH CRIME SURVEY, 1996 MEN WOMEN

Assaulted Partner past year 4% 4% Injured partner 49% 31%

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WOMEN COMMIT ABOUT A THIRD OF MURDERS OF INTIMATE PARTNERS, BUT

THE PERCENTAGE HAS BEEN DECREASING

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996

FE

MA

LE

OF

FE

ND

ER

PE

RC

EN

T

BASED ON GREENFELD ET AL, VIOLENCE BY INTIMATES , APPENDIX TABLE 5NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF JUSTICE PUBLICATION NCJ-167237, 1998

cCHARTS\FAMVIOL\GENDER\HOMICIDE BY FEMALES

WOMEN'S

SHARE OF

HOMICIDE

OF PARTNERS

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D. WHAT EXPLAINS THE BELIEF THAT PARTNER VIOLENCE IS PRIMARILY

A MALE CRIME?• AMONG CASES RECORDED BY POLICE 80-99% ARE BY MEN

• SYMPATHY FOR VICTIMS (WHO ARE PREDOMINANTLY WOMEN)

• OUTSIDE THE FAMILY, MALE VIOLENCE IS 10 TIMES GREATER

• EFFORTS OF FEMINISTS IS WHAT BROUGHT THE ISSUE ISSUE OF PARTNER VIOLENCE TO PUBLIC ATTENTION

• VIOLATES CULTURAL NORM OF "NEVER HIT A WOMAN" VERSUS

IMPLICIT NORM TOLERATING VIOLENCE BY WOMEN

• MEDIA DISTORTIONS

• SUPPRESSION OF THE EVIDENCE BY RESEARCHERSFeminist researchersFear of reprisal by other researchers

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MEDIA COVERAGE OFTEN MISREPRESENTS

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SUPPRESSION OF THE EVIDENCE:TWO VERSIONS OF THE SAME STUDY

1987 VERSION Rate Per 100 Couples

A. Husband-to-Wife US ALBERTAOverall Violence (1-8) 11.3 11.2Severe Violence (4-8) 3.0 2.3

B.B. Wife-to-HusbandWife-to-HusbandOverall Violence (1-8)Overall Violence (1-8) 12.112.1 12.412.4Severe Violence (4-8)Severe Violence (4-8) 4.4 4.4 4.7 4.7

1989 PUBLISHED VERSION Rate Per 100 Couples`` US ALBERTA

Husband-to-WifeOverall Violence (1-8) 11.3 11.2Severe Violence (4-8) 3.0 2.3

MISSING

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EXAMPLES OF OTHER EFFORTS TO SUPPRESS

* UNIVERSITY OF DELAWARE Campaign to have Suzanne Steinmetz fired Bomb threat at daughter's wedding* UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA

Lecturer's contract not renewed* MY EXPERIENCES

Prevented from speaking at U of Mass. Accused of wife beating Accused of sexually exploiting students Walk out at my SSSP presidential address Presidential address published with rejoinders Graduate student warned she will never get a job if she does

her dissertation research with me• MANY OTHER CASES• A CLIMATE OF FEAR LED TO SELF-CENSORSHIP

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MAIN REASON FOR REJECTION OF THE CTS AS A VALID MEASURE

STUDIES USING THE CTS SHOW THAT WOMEN PERPETRATE ASSAULTS ON PARTNERS AS OFTEN AS MENCRITICS DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THIS IS TRUE

THEREFORE, THE CTS MUST BE INVALID

"BLAMING THE MESSANGER FOR THE BAD NEWS"

IGNORES THE FACT THAT STUDIES USING OTHER MEASURES ALSO FIND THISTHE ONLY EXCEPTION IS STUDIES USING POLICE CALLS, AND THAT IS BECAUSE OF THE NATURE OF THE CASES IN WHICH THE POLICE ARE INVOLVED.

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7. OTHER CRITICISMS AND LIMITATIONS OF THE CTS PURPORTEDLY FEMINIST CRITICISMS       RESTRICTED TO CONFLICT RELATED VIOLENCE       IGNORES CONTEXT       IGNORES NON-CONFLICT ASSAULTS       DOES NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT SMALLER AVERAGE SIZE OF WOMEN       DOES NOT MEASURE INJURY       EQUATES ACTS THAT DIFFER IN SERIOUSNESS       IGNORES WHO INITIATES THE ASSAULTS OTHER CRITICISMS OF THE CTS       FREQUENCY RESPONSE CATEGORIES ARE UNREALISTIC       ONE YEAR REFERENT PERIOD IS UNREALISTIC       LIMITED SET OF VIOLENT ACTS       CTS2: LONG IF ALL 5 SCALES ARE ASKED FOR RESPONDENT AND PARTNER AS A PARENT-CHILD MEASURE       STILL NOT WELL SUITED TO INFANTS•ONE YEAR REFERENT PERIOD TOO LONG FOR ACTS THAT OCCUR DAILY, LIKE SPANKING

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POINTS TO BE SURE YOU UNDERSTAND•What the CTS2 measures

•How it measures these variable

•Reliability and validity of a measure

•Evidence of validity of the CTS2

Disclosure rate

Concurrent validity

Construct validity

• Limitations of the CTS2

• Difference between men and women in partner violence (PV)

• Why the vitriolic criticism of the CTS and attacks on the author?