ERPs on a continuous performance task and self-reported psychopathic traits: P3 and CNV augmentation are associated with Fearless Dominance

Both augmented and reduced P3 amplitude have been associated with psychopathic personality. The Two Process Theory (TPT) suggests that there are two etiologically distinct traits underling psychopathy. One of these traits appears to be related to enhanced attention engagement and reduced anxiety. The other is related to impulsivity, social deviance and poor executive function. P3 is a multi-determined component indexing attention and working memory processes related to executive function. As such, we hypothesized that dissociable relationships would exist between these two dimensions and P3. We recorded P3 and the Contingent Negative Variation (CNV), an ERP response shown to be augmented in psychopaths, during an expectancy AX-continuous performance task from 60 undergraduates. We administered the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI). One factor of the PPI, Fearless Dominance, was related to the dimension of the TPT predicted to reflect relatively better executive function. We found that Fearless Dominance was uniquely associated with P3 augmentation. More negative CNV and faster reaction time were also specifically related to Fearless Dominance. These results illustrate the need to examine the differential relationships between psychopathic traits and P3 amplitude.     

Electrophysiology of blunted emotional bias in psychopathic personality

Diminished emotional capacity is a core characteristic of psychopathic personality. We examined behavioral and electrophysiological differences in attentional bias to emotional material in 34 healthy individuals rated high or low in psychopathic traits using the short form of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory–Revised (18 high‐trait, 16 low‐trait). While performing an emotional Stroop task, high‐trait participants displayed reduced emotional modulation of the late positive potential (LPP, 400–600 ms), and early anterior positivity (EAP, 200–300 ms) amplitudes. Results suggest blunted bias to affective content in psychopathic personality, characterized by diminished early capture to emotional salience (EAP) and dampened cognitive emotional processing (LPP).     

Startling secrets: startle eye blink modulation by concealed crime information

We used the startle eye blink paradigm to investigate the processes underlying physiological responding to concealed information. Autonomic responding was measured together with eye blink responses to startle probes presented during mock crime and control pictures. Based upon 'orienting theory', greater startle modulation to crime pictures in comparison to control pictures was expected. The electrodermal, heart rate and respiratory changes in Experiment 1 (n=29) showed enhanced orienting to the crime pictures, but we observed reduced rather than enhanced startle modulation. In Experiment 2 (n=91) and Experiment 3 (n=38), participants either were or were not instructed to inhibit physiological responding in order to test whether inhibition was an explanation for the pattern of startle blink responding. Reduced startle modulation was observed only when participants inhibited physiological responding, confirming the proposed role of inhibition. The data suggest that not only orienting, but also inhibition contributes to physiological responding to concealed information.     

Visual P3 amplitude and self-reported psychopathic personality traits: Frontal reduction is associated with self-centered impulsivity

Past studies have examined P3 amplitude as an index of cognitive function related to psychopathy with mixed results. Psychopathy is a heterogeneous set of dissociable traits, and no previous study has examined relationships between P3 and specific traits. A Two Process Theory (TPT) of psychopathy has recently been advanced predicting that P3 reductions are related to only one dimension. We evaluated the relationship between P3 and the two factors of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI) in 96 undergraduates who performed a visual task. One factor of the PPI, Self-Centered Impulsivity, is related to the dimension of the TPT predicted to underlie P3 reduction. Frontal amplitude reduction was uniquely and inversely related to this trait. The other PPI factor, Fearless Dominance, was associated with faster reaction times. Future work on psychopathic personality and P3 should evaluate whether relationships are unique to one personality dimension.     

Psychopathic tendencies and mesolimbic recruitment by cues for instrumental and passively obtained rewards

Psychopathy is a constellation of self-serving attitudes and antisocial behaviors with little regard to cost to self and others. Might this symptomatology arise in part from an exaggerated response of brain motivational circuitry to prospective rewards? We examined whether psychopathic tendencies are associated with increased recruitment of incentive neurocircuitry during anticipation of instrumental and conditioned rewards. Healthy controls completed the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI), then were presented with response-contingent and passively delivered rewards during functional MRI. PPI scores correlated negatively with reaction time to incentivized targets, but not with reaction time to non-incentivized targets. PPI scores also correlated positively with recruitment of ventral striatum and anterior cingulate cortex during instrumental reward anticipation. PPI scores also correlated with middle frontal cortex recruitment during anticipation of passively received rewards. These data indicate that in psychiatrically healthy controls, individuals with greater endorsement of psychopathic tendencies show more robust neurophysiological and behavioral signatures of incentive motivation.     

Autonomic and behavioral responding to concealed information: differentiating orienting and defensive responses

A mock crime experiment was conducted to examine whether enhanced responding to concealed information during a polygraph examination is due to orienting or defensive responding. Thirty-six undergraduate students enacted one of two mock crimes. Pictures related to both crimes were presented while heart rate, magnitude of the skin conductance response, and reaction times to a secondary probe were measured. Compared to control pictures, participants showed heart rate deceleration and enhanced electrodermal responding to pictures of the crime they had committed. Probe reaction times did not differ significantly between crime and control pictures. The present findings support the idea that the orienting reflex accounts for the enhanced responding to concealed information. Theoretical and practical implications of the orienting account are discussed.     

Antisociality, underarousal and the validity of the Concealed Information Polygraph Test

The Concealed Information Polygraph Test has been advocated as the preferred method for the physiological detection of deception. In this study, we further examined the validity of the Concealed Information Test in antisocial individuals. Physiological responding to concealed information was assessed in 48 male prisoners, and compared with responding in 31 male community volunteers. Based upon the association between antisociality and autonomic hyporesponsivity, lower detection rates were expected in the prisoners. Participants were questioned on five personally significant items (e.g., day of birth), instructed to deny recognition of this information, and promised a financial reward when able to hide recognition. Prisoners showed reduced autonomic reactivity in comparison to the community volunteers. This hyporesponsivity had little impact on the sensitivity of the Concealed Information Test. Detection efficiency in the prisoners was significantly above chance (d=2.67; a=0.82; 79%), and did not differ significantly from that obtained in the community volunteers (d=3.04; a=0.85; 87%). The present data support the validity of the Concealed Information Test in criminal populations.     

Covert respiration measures for the detection of concealed information

A mock-theft experiment was designed to assess the efficiency of two covert respiration measures in detection of concealed information. The covert measures were further compared with three standard measures typically used for the detection of concealed knowledge (electrodermal, respiration and finger pulse measures). Results revealed that the covert respiration measures produced good discrimination between "guilty" (participants possessing concealed knowledge) and "innocent" participants. One of the covert measures produced detection efficiency that was similar to that of the standard respiration and finger pulse measures, but less than the electrodermal measure.     

The influence of subclinical psychopathic traits on responding to others’ awkward requests

Introduction: Psychopathy is characterised by a postulated deficit in emotional empathy, with intact cognitive empathy. Although studies have examined performance on laboratory tasks within incarcerated populations, there is a paucity of work exploring how subclinical psychopathic traits translate into everyday social interactions.

Methods: The present study investigated this by screening 502 university students with the Psychopathic Personality Inventory and comparing 20 high-scoring (10F; mean age?=?19.85 years) and 19 low-scoring (15F; mean age?=?21.00 years) participants on their responses to the Social Strategy Task. This comprises social scenarios that each end with an awkward request posed by the main character. Participants provided verbal responses and rated the awkwardness of each situation. Verbal responses were classified into positive or negative social strategies, denoting the extent of compliance with requests.

Results: The groups were compared using analysis of variance and t-tests. The high psychopathic trait group used fewer positive social strategies than the low group was less polite in emotional tone and perceived situations as less awkward.

Conclusions: The findings are considered in relation to the postulated dissociation between intact cognitive empathy and impaired emotional empathy. The potential implications for clinical interventions are briefly discussed.     

Discriminative validity of the MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale with Cluster B personality disorders

This study was designed to assess the ability of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI-2) MacAndrew Alcoholism Scale (MAC-R) to differentiate between outpatients with personality disorders with Substance-Related Disorders (SRDs) and without SRDs. MMPI-2 validity, clinical, and MAC-R scale scores were compared in an SRD Cluster B group (comprised of Narcissistic, Antisocial, Borderline, and Histrionic; n = 15), a non-SRD Cluster B group (n = 33), and a non-SRD group with personality disorders from Clusters A and C (n = 18). Results revealed that the substance-abusing Cluster B group scored significantly higher on the MAC-R ( p <.0001) as well as the Psychopathic Deviate scale ( p <.01). Dimensional analyses illustrated that MAC-R scores were related to the presence of an SRD diagnosis (rpb =.70, p <.0001) and diagnostic criteria for Antisocial Personality Disorder (r =.60, p <.0001). Stepwise regression revealed that (in order of magnitude) the presence of a substance-abuse diagnosis followed by diagnostic criteria for Antisocial and Histrionic Personality Disorders were most related to MAC-R scores (R =.78, R(2) =.60). This indicates that the MAC-R may be more related to the presence of an SRD than has been suggested, and when used in outpatient settings as MacAndrew (1965) intended, the MAC-R may be useful as a screening device for assessing SRD among outpatients with Axis II psychopathology.     

Psychopathic traits are differentially associated with efficiency of neural communication

Recent advances in the application of graph theory made it possible to quantify the efficiency of communication within a neural network, going beyond traditional connectivity methods that only identify the degree to which neural regions are connected. Psychopathic traits, namely, interpersonal‐affective and impulsive‐antisocial traits, have been linked to widespread and distinct disruptions in neural connectivity. The efficiency of neural communication for individuals high on these psychopathic traits, though, is unknown. In the present study, resting‐state EEG was used to generate a connectivity matrix (i.e., weighted phase lag index) for multiple frequency bands. These connectivity matrices were examined using minimum spanning tree analysis, a graph theory approach that allows for the examination of neural efficiency, and regressed on Self‐Report Psychopathy‐Short Form scores (n = 158, unselected community sample). Results indicated that individuals with higher interpersonal‐affective traits had significantly less efficient communication within alpha1 (i.e., long‐range neural communication) and gamma (i.e., short‐range neural communication) frequency bands. Conversely, individuals with higher impulsive‐antisocial traits had more efficient communication within these same frequency bands. Overall, elevated psychopathic traits were related to alterations in the basic efficiency of neural communication. Moreover, this unique application of graph analysis provides a new avenue for inquiry into the mechanisms underlying the chronic and severe behavior of individuals with psychopathic traits.     

Psychopathic personality traits: heritability and genetic overlap with internalizing and externalizing psychopathology

BACKGROUND: Little research has examined genetic and environmental contributions to psychopathic personality traits. Additionally, no studies have examined etiological connections between psychopathic traits and the broad psychopathological domains of internalizing (mood and anxiety) and externalizing (antisocial behavior, substance abuse). The current study was designed to fill these gaps in the literature. METHOD: Participants were 626 pairs of 17-year-old male and female twins from the community. Psychopathic traits were indexed using scores on the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (MPQ). Symptoms of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology were obtained via structured clinical interviews. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate genetic and environmental influences on psychopathic personality traits as well as the degree of genetic overlap between these traits and composites of internalizing and externalizing. RESULTS: Twin analyses revealed significant genetic influence on distinct psychopathic traits (Fearless Dominance and Impulsive Antisociality). Moreover, Fearless Dominance was associated with reduced genetic risk for internalizing psychopathology, and Impulsive Antisociality was associated with increased genetic risk for externalizing psychopathology. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that different psychopathic traits as measured by the MPQ show distinct genetically based relations with broad dimensions of DSM psychopathology.     

大学生自我概念、人格特质与职业生涯规划的相关性

目的探讨大学生自我概念、人格特质和职业生涯规划的特点及其关系。方法采用田纳西自我概念量表（大学生版）、大五人格问卷和生涯决定量表对237名大学生进行调查。结果男大学生在生涯自我概念、宜人性、尽责性、道德自我、家庭自我和自我概念总分上的得分均显著低于女大学生（t=．2．16,-3．89,-4．60;P〈0．05;t=-4．73,-4．67,-3．69;P〈0．001）;工科大学生的生涯自信心和心理自我得分显著低于文科生和理科生（F=3．29,P〈0．05,F=4．62,P〈0．01）;自我概念、人格特质和职业生涯规划三者存在显著相关关系（P〈0．05）。结论大学生的自我概念和人格特质对生涯规划具有一定的预测作用。     

The psychopathic individual: A lack of responsiveness to distress cues?

In this study, we investigated the psychophysiological responsiveness of psychopathic individuals to distress cues and to threatening and neutral stimuli. Eighteen psychopathic individuals and 18 incarcerated control individuals, identified using the Revised Psychopathy Checklist (Hare, 1991, The Hare Pscyhopathy Checklist-Revised, Toronto: Multi-Health Systems), were shown slides of these three types of stimuli, and their electrodermal responses were recorded. The psychopathic individuals showed (relative to the controls) reduced electrodermal responses to the distress cues. In contrast, the two groups did not differ in their electrodermal responses to the threatening stimuli and to the neutral stimuli. The results are interpreted within the Violence Inhibition Mechanism model (Blair, 1995, Cognition, 57, 1–29) of the psychopathic individual.     

神经性厌食患者的人格特征及焦虑抑郁症状

目的:探讨神经性厌食患者的人格特征及焦虑抑郁症状,为临床治疗和疾病预防提供参考依据。方法:选取94例同时符合中国精神障碍分类与诊断标准第3版(CCMD-3)和美国精神障碍诊断与统计手册第4版(DSM-Ⅳ)诊断标准的神经性厌食患者,其中限食型41例,暴食/清除型53例;选取72例某精神专科医院实习护士为对照组。两组均采用明尼苏达多项人格(MMPI)、汉密顿抑郁量表(HAMD)、汉密顿焦虑量表(HAMA)进行测查。结果:病例组抑郁症状(85.1%vs.8.3%)和焦虑症状(75.5%vs.2.8%)的检出率高于对照组(均P0.05)。病例组M M PI测试结果除男子-女子气、说谎量表、诈病量表、校正量表的T分与对照组无统计学差异外(均P0.05),精神病态、抑郁、癔病、疑病、偏执、精神衰弱、精神分裂症、轻躁狂及社会内向的T分均高于对照组(均P0.05);T分最高的量表分为精神病态(Pd)(63.8±11.2),其次是抑郁(D)(61.0±12.8),两点编码呈现24/42编码。暴食/清除型患者的疑病(Hs)的T分高于限食型[(53.3±9.9)vs.(58.7±9.3),P0.05]。结论:神经性厌食患者有其特定的人格特征,尤其是精神病态和抑郁更为突出。     

理工科大学生焦虑状况测查研究

目的 对某高校理工科大学生的焦虑状况进行了解,为学校心理咨询和心理健康教育提供建议和参考.方法 利用状态-特质焦虑量表和16项人格问卷对某理工院校的233名理工科大学生进行测查.结果 理工科大学生状态焦虑不存在性别和城乡差异,而存在年级差异;特质焦虑的年级、性别和城乡差异都不存在;特质焦虑与稳定性等人格特征有关.结论 应重视理工科大学生的焦虑问题,并在大学生心理健康教育中注意焦虑的年级差异以及与人格特征的关系等.     

Deficient fear conditioning and self‐reported psychopathy: The role of fearless dominance

The role of the two dimensions of psychopathy—dispositional fearlessness (theorized to reflect variations in reactivity of the brain's defensive system) and externalizing proneness (presumed to reflect variations in function of anterior regulatory systems)—in fear learning was examined in a sample of undergraduates assessed using the Psychopathic Personality Inventory‐Revised (PPI‐R) who participated in a differential aversive conditioning task. Only scores on self‐reported “fearless dominance,” irrespective of scores on “impulsive antisociality,” were related to diminished acquisition of physiological fear. Consistent with dual‐process accounts of psychopathy proposing divergent etiological pathways for the interpersonal/affective and the social deviance features of the disorder, our results lend support to the existence of a deficit in reactivity of the brain's defensive system underlying the fearlessness dimension of psychopathy.     

Primary and secondary variants of juvenile psychopathy differ in emotional processing

Accumulating research suggests that psychopathy can be disaggregated into low-anxious primary and high-anxious secondary variants, and this research may be important for understanding antisocial youths with callous-unemotional traits. Using model-based cluster analysis, the present study disaggregated 165 serious male adolescent offenders (M age = 16) with high scores on the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory into primary and secondary variants based on the presence of anxiety. The results indicated that the secondary, high-anxious variant was more likely to show a history of abuse and scored higher on measures of emotional and attentional problems. On a picture version of the dot-probe task, the low-anxious primary variant was not engaged by emotionally distressing pictures, whereas the high-anxious secondary variant was more attentive to such stimuli (Cohen d = 0.71). Although the two groups differed as hypothesized from one another, neither differed significantly in their emotional processing from a nonpsychopathic control group of offending youth (n = 208). These results are consistent with the possibility that the two variants of psychopathy, both of which were high on callous-unemotional traits, may have different etiological pathways, with the primary being more related to a deficit in the processing of distress cues in others and the secondary being more related to histories of abuse and emotional problems.     

违法犯罪成年男性个性特征调查

成年罪犯是一个特殊的群体。犯罪行为的产生是由社会、心理、生物等多种因素综合作用的结果[1] 。其中个性与犯罪的关系历来受到犯罪心理学研究的重视。国内外学者对该问题作过一些调查研究 ,证明犯罪与个性特征有一定关系[2 - 12 ] 。为进一步证实以往研究的结论 ,我们对 175例正在服役的成人罪犯进行了个性特征调查 ,现将调查结果报告如下。1　对象与方法1.1　研究对象选择长沙某监狱服刑男性罪犯 175人 ,其中暴力犯 88人 ,盗窃犯 87人 ;年龄在 18～ 4 5岁 ,其中 18～ 19岁 6人 ,2 0～ 2 9岁 110人 ,30～ 39岁 54人 ,4 0～4 5岁 5人 ;文化…     

Mindfulness as a moderator in expressive writing

Randomized, controlled studies have documented positive physical and psychological effects of writing about traumatic stress. Some of these studies have shown that individual differences play an important role, with participants responding differently to the intervention based on their personal characteristics. In the present expressive writing experiment, the trait of mindfulness was examined as a potential moderator. Seventy-six undergraduates were randomly assigned to either expressive writing (n = 37) or a control group (n = 39). Main effects favoring expressive writing were found, and these were qualified by significant interactions with mindfulness. Specifically, individuals with higher mindfulness scores responded better to expressive writing, experiencing greater physical and psychological benefits than individuals with lower mindfulness scores.