Volu m e II - Purdue University Calumet

Rana Nino
Saint Xavier University
Cognitive Vulnerability and Obedience to Authority:
A Child-Centered Study of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Introduction and Review of Literature
Childhood sexual abuse is a large problem in this day and age, and consequently needs to be the
subject of sustained research so children can receive the protection they deserve. Research from this year,
2011, reports that child sexual abuse has in fact increased. Abuse has been reported up to 80,000 times a
year—and, again, this is just in the United States alone. The number of unreported instances is far greater.
(Child, 2011). Much research on childhood sexual abuse has focused on the adults involved in the abuse—
perpetrators and parents—yet few child-generated studies have focused upon abuse through the eyes and
mind of a child. The victim of any violence should be the first to be helped, and thus it only makes sense
that the child, the victim of the abuse, should be the first to be assessed in order to be properly armed. And
in order for the child to be armed, his or her understanding of the topic must be evaluated. A prevention
program can only be as effective as far as the child understands the lessons presented. Thus, it is necessary
to measure the child’s understanding of sexual abuse, and sexuality in general—a possibly complex social
situation for young children to understand—in order to understand which prevention programs will fail,
and which will be successful. Cognitive development is a large factor in such ability to understand.
Jean Piaget (1896-1980) was one of the most significant and influential researchers in the area of
developmental psychology during the 20 th century. While working in Paris, he developed four stages of
cogntive development. The second stage (the most relevant to the present study) is the pre-operational stage,
which occurs in the toddler and early childhood years. During this period, intelligence is demonstrated
though the use of symbols, the use of language develops, and memory and imagination are developed.
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