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Psychopathic Traits and Perceptions of Victim Vulnerability
Abstract
This study examines whether psychopathic traits in a nonreferred (and presumably nonpsychopathic) sample could enhance the accuracy of perceptions of victim vulnerability. In a previous study, the interpersonal and affective component of psychopathy was associated with increased accuracy in assessing vulnerability in dyadic conversations, and Grayson and Stein (1981) established that vulnerability could be assessed by observing targets walking. The purpose of this study was to determine whether individuals scoring higher on psychopathic traits would be better able to judge vulnerability to victimization after viewing short clips of targets walking. Participants provided a vulnerability estimate for each target and completed the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale: Version III (SRP-III). Higher SRP-III scores were associated with greater accuracy in assessing targets' vulnerability to victimization. Implications for the prevention of victimization are discussed.
... Yet, after experiences of violence, victims are at an increased risk of being revictimized (Jaffe et al., 2019), raising the question of what drives repeated victimization. Previous research suggests potential perpetrators such as those with higher psychopathic traits (Dinkins & Jones, 2021), can use cues like gait and body language to accurately assess a potential victim's prior victimization history, often assessed by asking potential perpetrators for their rating of a person's 'vulnerability' to a future attack (Wheeler et al., 2009) and then investigating whether such vulnerability ratings correspond to the person's actual previous victimization history (Wheeler et al., 2009). ...
... Yet, after experiences of violence, victims are at an increased risk of being revictimized (Jaffe et al., 2019), raising the question of what drives repeated victimization. Previous research suggests potential perpetrators such as those with higher psychopathic traits (Dinkins & Jones, 2021), can use cues like gait and body language to accurately assess a potential victim's prior victimization history, often assessed by asking potential perpetrators for their rating of a person's 'vulnerability' to a future attack (Wheeler et al., 2009) and then investigating whether such vulnerability ratings correspond to the person's actual previous victimization history (Wheeler et al., 2009). ...
... So far, such considerations have primarily investigated the role of gait in revictimization (e.g. short strides, lateral, diagonal, or vertical shift movements, movement that activates only a part of the body, anti-synchronous movement, and lifted foot movements; Dinkins & Jones, 2021;Grayson & Stein, 1981;Wheeler et al., 2009) and occasionally perceptions of assertiveness and dominance/submission (Blaskovits & Bennell, 2019;Relyea & Ullman, 2015), but no study to date has assessed the role of voice. The purpose of this research is to understand if potential perpetrators may use voice cues to accurately discern survivors of sexual violence. ...
Background: Research has shown that potential perpetrators and individuals high in
psychopathic traits tend to body language cues to target a potential new victim. However, whether targeting occurs also by tending to vocal cues has not been examined. Thus, the role of voice in interpersonal violence merits investigation.
Objective: In two studies, we examined whether perpetrators could differentiate female speakers with and without sexual and physical assault histories (presented as rating the degree of ‘vulnerability’ to victimization).
Methods: Two samples of male listeners (sample one N = 105, sample two, N = 109)
participated. Each sample rated 18 voices (9 survivors and 9 controls). Listener sample one heard spontaneous speech, and listener sample two heard the second sentence of a standardized passage. Listeners’ self-reported psychopathic traits and history of previous perpetration were measured.
Results: Across both samples, history of perpetration (but not psychopathy) predicted accuracy in distinguishing survivors of assault.
Conclusions: These findings highlight the potential role of voice in prevention and
intervention. Gaining a further understanding of what voice cues are associated with
accuracy in discerning survivors can also help us understand whether or not specialized voice training could have a role in self-defense practices.
... Researchers (e.g., Book et al., 2013;Ritchie et al., 2018;Wheeler et al., 2009) have also examined the related question of whether psychopathic traits are associated with the ability to judge vulnerability to victimization, as evidenced by a history of victimization. Participants viewed videotapes of individuals walking down a hallway and rated each individual's vulnerability to being victimized. ...
... Book et al. (2013) also reported a unique relationship between the combined interpersonal/affective traits of psychopathy and accuracy in judging vulnerability but no such relationship for the combined antisocial/lifestyle traits. Although Wheeler et al. (2009) reported a similar pattern of findings using a measure of self-reported psychopathic traits in undergraduates, Ritchie et al. (2018) found significant relationships only between the antisocial/lifestyle traits and accuracy for their male subsample of undergraduates. Although adeptness at judging vulnerability is a very different construct from success in avoiding punishment for committing criminal acts, it may nevertheless be associated with criminal success, similar to denying guilt and leaving the scene of the crime (Häkkänen-Nyholm & Hare, 2009). ...
... The antisocial lifestyle traits have been linked to greater overall self-reported criminal success and greater likelihood of leaving the scene of the crime and being convicted of a lesser charge (LIF only). In contrast, the interpersonal affective traits have been linked to greater likelihood of denying guilt and accuracy in identifying victim vulnerability, but also to lower self-reported criminal success (Aharoni & Kiehl, 2013;Book et al., 2013;Häkkänen-Nyholm & Hare, 2009;Wheeler et al., 2009). ...
Although it is well established that individuals with psychopathic traits commit more crimes than individuals without psychopathic traits, the association between psychopathy and success in the criminal justice system (CJS) is less understood. We addressed this issue by examining relationships between psychopathic traits and the conviction-to-charge ratio (CCR) in 355 incarcerated adult male offenders who were also assessed on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. This study was unique in examining a comprehensive dataset of state and federal criminal records. No relationships between CCR and psychopathy ratings were found in the present study. However, scores on a modified CCR that included sets of charges without dispositions yielded both unique and zero-order relationships between interpersonal features and conviction rates. These results suggest that the interpersonal traits may be uniquely associated with some indices of decreased success in the CJS. Future research should examine what is driving this unique relationship.
... Serial killer Ted Bundy once stated that he "could tell a victim by the way she walked down the street, the tilt of her head, the manner in which she carried herself, etc..." (Holmes & Holmes, 2009, p. 221 as cited in Book et al., 2013). Wheeler, Book, and Costello (2009) found evidence of this in a community sample. Those with high F1 psychopathy scores were more accurate than those low on F1 at judging victim vulnerability from witnessing their walking style. ...
... This analysis also resulted in a victim group by clip type interaction where victims were found to be rated as more vulnerable than non-victims in clip formats that included video, but not in audio-only clips. These results support our hypothesis and align well with previous studies in this area that have consistently shown results emphasizing the relative importance of body language cues in the identification of victimization (for example Grayson & Stein, 1981;Ritchie, Blais, Forth, & Book, 2018;Wheeler et al., 2009). ...
... Overall, the bulk of the findings in the current study suggest that psychopathy may not be related to perceptions, insights, memories, of affective profiles that serve to make them more accurate social predators, although, there is prior research that suggests otherwise (e.g. Wheeler et al., 2009). However, this series of studies did show consistent associations between psychopathic traits and affective differences that would serve to reduce the inhibition of disreputable behaviours that may harm others, either initially or as a result of prior learning. ...
This thesis is a broad investigation of the affective features of psychopathy with the view of assessing whether these deficits and differences in affect may result in adaptive features that improve the fitness of those with the psychopathy phenotype as nefarious but individually advantageous social predators. We aim to assess whether aspects of the affective profile of this phenotype; increase success victimising others through increased accuracy in the perception of vulnerable traits, increase willingness to act in ways that harm others through reduced affect-based inhibition, or increase the ability to mask deviance and ‘fake good’. The first study of this thesis is a methodological development and validation of a new procedure for collecting self-reported emotional experience and physiological response simultaneously. This methodology involves the use of eye-tracking technology to allow participants to make ratings using gaze to fixate on a response graph presented between stimulus presentations. Results suggest that this method of collecting self-reported affective response is comparable to more traditional methods of data collection, validating it’s use in future studies. The second study of this thesis utilises this methodology in combination with measures of physiological response, cognitive empathy, intelligence, and psychopathy to assess the possibility that intelligence and/or cognitive empathy have a moderating effect on the relationship between psychopathy and physiological response to affective stimuli. Although we were expecting to find the physiological affective response deficits in relation to psychopathic traits no such deficits were found. We further expected that IQ and cognitive empathy may moderate the relationship between psychopathy and affective response, but found little evidence to support this. One interesting finding was that self-reported affective response showed a negative association with psychopathic traits across multiple stimulus types. This may indicate a further usefulness for the fixation triggered rating methodology. The third study is an investigation of the relationship between psychopathy and memory for the emotional state of others. This study used a recognition memory test to assess whether people can recall the prior emotional expression of an individual when prompted with recognition of that individual’s identity while displaying a neutral expression. Results suggest some evidence of a negative association between psychopathy and expression memory. The fourth and final study is an investigation of whether psychopathy relates to increased accuracy assessing the vulnerability of others. This study utilised a stress induction to produce videos of self-reported victims and non-victims under stress. These videos were rated for a variety of traits associated with vulnerability and the accuracy of these ratings was assessed for associations with the psychopathy levels of the people making the rating. Data showed little evidence of increased accuracy, but consistent evidence of psychopathy being associated with an increased perception of others as vulnerable. Overall, evidence from this thesis suggests that psychopathy may facilitate the use of a nefarious social strategy through reduced affect-based inhibition and increased perception of others as vulnerable to victimisation.
... Several recent studies suggest that individuals with psychopathic traits are better able to accurately judge target individuals' previous victimization status after watching videos of the individuals walking (Book et al., 2013;Ritchie et al., 2018;Wheeler et al., 2009). In these studies (Book et al., 2013;Wheeler et al., 2009), raters watched short video-clips of targets walking, and then rated the targets' likelihood of being victimized. ...
... Several recent studies suggest that individuals with psychopathic traits are better able to accurately judge target individuals' previous victimization status after watching videos of the individuals walking (Book et al., 2013;Ritchie et al., 2018;Wheeler et al., 2009). In these studies (Book et al., 2013;Wheeler et al., 2009), raters watched short video-clips of targets walking, and then rated the targets' likelihood of being victimized. Targets had previously provided ratings of their history of victimization. ...
... Targets had previously provided ratings of their history of victimization. Psychopathic traits correlated positively with accuracy of victim selection among undergraduate student raters (Ritchie et al., 2018;Wheeler et al., 2009) and also among inmates incarcerated for violent crimes (Book et al., 2013). Further, psychopathy appears to uniquely predict accuracy of victim selection over and above Machiavellianism and narcissism (Ritchie et al., 2019). ...
Psychopathic appear to have an advantage in judging vulnerability in others using physical cues. In the current study, we investigated whether this extends to judgments of personality traits of people who are vulnerable to exploitation/manipulation. First, 173 women completed both the HEXACO personality inventory and the Life Events Checklist and were categorized as victims/non-victims. Women with a history of violent/sexual victimization rated themselves as lower on Agreeableness and higher on Openness to Experience and also tended to rate themselves as lower on Conscientiousness. In Phase 2, 510 men used HEXACO facets to rate two hypothetical individuals (difficult versus easy to manipulate/take advantage of). The “easy to manipulate” target was rated as higher on Emotionality and Agreeableness and lower on Extraversion, Conscientiousness, and Openness to Experience. In other words, there was a disconnect between victims' self-reported personality traits and those traits assumed to be related to vulnerability to exploitation. However, men with higher levels of psychopathy rated the “easy to manipulate” person as being more similar to actual victims' self-ratings than did those with lower psychopathic traits providing support for the idea that psychopathy may be related to a better understanding of the personalities of people who are vulnerable to exploitation.
... Under this model, there is no intrinsic link between empathy deficits and antisocial behaviour. In fact, individuals with psychopathic traits have better than average skills at identifying individuals vulnerable to victimization (Book et al., 2013;Wheeler et al., 2009). Angela Book and colleagues, for example, found that individuals high on psychopathy could identify individuals vulnerable to victimization simply by watching them walk down a corridor (Wheeler et al., 2009). ...
... In fact, individuals with psychopathic traits have better than average skills at identifying individuals vulnerable to victimization (Book et al., 2013;Wheeler et al., 2009). Angela Book and colleagues, for example, found that individuals high on psychopathy could identify individuals vulnerable to victimization simply by watching them walk down a corridor (Wheeler et al., 2009). Similarly, successful child molesters must have excellent skills at identifying vulnerable children who would accept gifts and adult attention in exchange for sexual favours. ...
... Another interesting hypothesis is that vindictive rapists may be better than other groups at identifying women who violate social norms concerning sexuality. Just as individuals high on psychopathy are good at identifying crime victims (Wheeler et al., 2009), individuals prone to vindictive rape may be particularly good at identifying wom-en's sexual behaviour history based on their appearance (photographs) or brief social interactions. ...
This paper presents a model of vindictive rape based on common mechanisms for maintaining cooperation among humans, namely altruistic (or costly) punishment, sex role expectations, and retributive (“eye for an eye”) justice. Vindictive rapes are characterized by high level of victim harm without explicit sadistic sexual interests. They are also distinguished from angry, reactive sexual aggression in response to personal insult or threats. In this model, vindictive rape is considered a form of retributive justice in which the perpetrator punishes the female victim for perceived transgressions against sexual norms. None of the specific psychological mechanisms are intrinsically problematic. Nevertheless, individuals who have committed vindictive rapes would still be expected to have risk-relevant schema worthy of interventions. For such individuals, the primary treatment targets would be loosening rigid sexual norm expectations for women, increasing confidence in conventional methods of maintaining social order, and decreasing willingness to hurt others at the cost of hurting oneself. A 15-item Vindictive Rape Attitude Questionnaire is presented in order to facilitate further research on the topic.
... The relationship between psychopathy and emotional and social processing may provide and explanation as to the ability of psychopathic individuals to exploit vulnerabilities and weaknesses in others. Wilson, Demetrioff, and Porter (2008) Additional research examining psychopathy and social information processing investigated whether higher levels of psychopathic traits were associated with accurate victim selection (Wheeler, Book and Costello, 2009). The authors contended that due to people with psychopathic characteristics readily victimising others, psychopathic individuals should possess the skills to perceive cues of vulnerability, such as basic emotional states in others (Wheeler et al., 2009). ...
... Wilson, Demetrioff, and Porter (2008) Additional research examining psychopathy and social information processing investigated whether higher levels of psychopathic traits were associated with accurate victim selection (Wheeler, Book and Costello, 2009). The authors contended that due to people with psychopathic characteristics readily victimising others, psychopathic individuals should possess the skills to perceive cues of vulnerability, such as basic emotional states in others (Wheeler et al., 2009). The researchers employed a methodology that video taped participants walking down a hallway, then asked each participant through a demographic questionnaire whether they had previously been victimized and on how many occasions. ...
... The researchers employed a methodology that video taped participants walking down a hallway, then asked each participant through a demographic questionnaire whether they had previously been victimized and on how many occasions. Victimisation was defined as being equal to or greater than bullying behaviour (Wheeler et al., 2009). A total of 12 video clips (eight females and four males) were used for participants to determine vulnerability, and of these, four women and two men identified past victimisation. ...
Much contention and speculation exists regarding the emotional and social skills associated with psychopathic personality, including the idea of a predatory perception. Perpetrators such as Theodore Bundy have made claims to determining victim vulnerability by simple body cues, however, support for these assertions has been limited. The current study examined the relationship between psychopathic personality and social and emotional processing. The study utilised a quasi-experimental design along with self-report measures to examine psychopathy in a community sample (N = 115) of males and females. To examine psychopathy and social information processing, a series of Mixed Design ANOVA’s were conducted to examine the effect of psychopathy on character recall. Psychopathy was found to significantly predict recall of the unsuccessful character, however, did not predict recall of character gender or emotion. Two hierarchical regressions analyses were conducted to examine emotional intelligence and empathy. Psychopathy was found to be a significant negative predictor of empathy, however, did not significantly predict emotional intelligence. Implications for the current study lie within advancing the empirical understanding on psychopathic personality and victim vulnerability.
... suggested that higher levels of psychopathy are associated with a greater likelihood of detecting vulnerabilities in others (Brooks, Fritzon, Watt, in press;Wheeler, Book, & Costello, 2009;Wilson, Demetrioff, & Porter, 2008). It has been postulated that psychopathic people are adept at identifying these vulnerabilities, callously taking advantage of weakness, fulfilling their need for power, dominance and gratification (Hare, 1999). ...
... The association between walking gait (abnormal pattern of walking strides, typically shorter or longer strides) and vulnerability to victimisation has been supported by research suggesting that walking gait can act as an indicator of potential victimisation and vulnerability (Murzynski & Degelman, 1996;Sakaguchi & Hasegawa, 2006). Wheeler et al. (2009) investigated whether higher levels of psychopathic traits were associated with accurate victim selection, specifically determining a person most vulnerable to victimisation. The authors contended that due to people with psychopathic characteristics readily victimising others, psychopathic individuals should possess the skills to perceive cues of vulnerability, such as basic emotional states in others (Wheeler et al., 2009). ...
... Wheeler et al. (2009) investigated whether higher levels of psychopathic traits were associated with accurate victim selection, specifically determining a person most vulnerable to victimisation. The authors contended that due to people with psychopathic characteristics readily victimising others, psychopathic individuals should possess the skills to perceive cues of vulnerability, such as basic emotional states in others (Wheeler et al., 2009). The authors employed a methodology that videotaped participants walking down a hallway, then asked the participant through a demographic questionnaire whether they had previously been victimised and on how many occasions. ...
This chapter will explore the tendency of psychopathic individuals to deceive others, exploit vulnerability and target victims in pursuit of self-gain, examining the implications of this behaviour in the workplace. The evidence relating to the varied mechanisms that provide psychopaths with the ammunition to coerce, abuse and deceive is presented, based on both empirical studies and case reports.
... Despite the findings suggesting that psychopathic offenders were of greater likelihood to re-offend for non-sexual crimes, they were two and a half times more likely than non-psychopathic offenders to be successful in their application for conditional release. (Wheeler et al., 2009). The authors employed a methodology that video taped participants walking down a hallway, then asked the participant through a demographic questionnaire whether they had previously been victimized and on how many occasions. ...
... Victimisation was defined as being equal to or greater than bullying behaviour (Wheeler et al., 2009). A total of 12 video clips (eight females and four males) were used for participants to determine vulnerability, and of these, four women and two men identified past victimisation. ...
... Despite a number of findings suggesting that individuals with psychopathic characteristics have strong impression management skills, are manipulative, deceptive, and capable of detecting and exploiting vulnerability, some researchers disagree over the ability of individuals with psychopathy to process and understand emotions (Wheeler et al., 2009). For example, in a study that investigated the relationship between psychopathy and recognition of facial affect, psychopathic traits were negatively related to affect recognition, most notably for expressions of sadness (Hastings, Tangney, & Stuewig, 2008). ...
Psychopathic personality traits have been identified in research on criminal and noncriminal samples (Hare, 2003; Babiak, Hare, & Neumann, 2010). A large body of research exists on criminal psychopathy; however, limited empirical understanding has emerged for noncriminal psychopathy. It is unknown whether the empirical knowledge on criminal psychopathy is generalisable to psychopathic personality in the broader community (Gao & Raine, 2010). The current thesis sought to address the lack of research on psychopathy outside of the correctional setting (Hall & Benning, 2006; Skeem, Polaschek, Patrick, & Lilienfeld, 2011). The present research aimed to develop a greater understanding of psychopathic traits across specific populations, incorporating three samples. These were a noncriminal community based sample (n = 115), criminal sample of community based probation and parole offenders (n = 44) and business sample consisting of working professionals and students completing a Master of Business Administration Degree (n = 60).
Available at: https://pure.bond.edu.au/ws/portalfiles/portal/17512266/understanding_the_manifestation_of_psychopathic_personality_characteristics.pdf
... A second possible explanation for discrepancies in research outcomes may relate to the method of assessing sensitivity to victim vulnerability. For instance, Wheeler et al. (2009) found that although individuals scoring higher in psychopathic traits exhibited a heightened ability to identify vulnerability, they were unable to articulate the specific cues that lead to that decision. This finding suggests that psychopathic traits may facilitate victim selection without conscious awareness. ...
... This is not particularly surprising given that psychopathic traits have been linked with a decreased ability to consciously identify emotions' in others. Interestingly, similar to Wheeler et al. (2009), when the researchers' questioned vulnerability directly, individuals scoring high in 'dark' traits (i.e. psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism) primarily reported relying on their intuitionfurther suggesting that victim selection may occur without conscious consideration of cues. ...
... Based on the findings of previous research (e.g. Book et al., 2013;Wheeler et al., 2009), it was hypothesized that individuals scoring higher in the interpersonal and affective components of psychopathy would exhibit greater initial orientation and attentional maintenance biases, thereby demonstrating a heightened perception of distress. ...
Although psychopathic traits have long been associated with predation and violence, it is unclear how individuals high in psychopathic traits choose victims. Victim selection and violence perpetration may be facilitated by attention to, or unawareness of, distressful facial expressions. Using a novel eye-tracking paradigm, the present study aimed to identify whether psychopathic traits are associated with unconscious attentional biases to expressions of distress. A sample of 138 undergraduates (23 males, 115 females, Mage = 20.4) viewed 80 paired images portraying a neutral, and authentic expression of either fear, pain, embarrassment, startle, or sadness. Psychopathic traits did not predict initial orientation to distressing over neutral expressions. However, callous-affective traits negatively predicted attentional maintenance to expressions of embarrassment and pain, whereas criminal tendencies and erratic lifestyle positively predicted attentional maintenance to embarrassment and pain, respectively. Findings offer insight into perceptual processing of others’ distress, with implications for violence and victim selection.
... Offenders may decide their course of action by weighing the costs and benefits associated with the various methods available to them. Research indicates that cues of vulnerability are particularly important in the selection of victims for interpersonal crimes (e.g., mugging and sexual assault; Book et al. 2013;Stevens 1994;Wheeler et al. 2009). Targeting vulnerable individuals is likely to increase the chances of successful goal acquisition (i.e., sexual gratification, money, power, etc.), and thus becomes a crucial factor in the offender's decision-making framework. ...
... Early work by Myers et al. (1984) suggested that individuals who report previous victimization tend to exhibit low dominance, low assertiveness, and less social presence, relative to individuals without histories of assault. In stranger-observer studies, individuals can reliably report which targets display such characteristics and also tend to report these same individuals as those most likely to be re-victimized in the future (e.g., Book et al. 2013;Richards et al. 1991;Wheeler et al. 2009). In other words, victims of crime who exhibit submissive behaviors (the 180° opposite of dominance in the interpersonal circumplex model of personality; Markey and Markey 2009;Trapnell and Wiggins 1990;Wiggins 1995), tend to be identified as those most likely to experience future victimization. ...
... Interestingly, research has demonstrated that certain gait patterns may indicate significantly more vulnerability relative to others (Book et al. 2013;Grayson and Stein 1981;Wheeler et al. 2009). A keystone study by Grayson and Stein (1981) examined differences in movement by video-taping individuals walking down the street and then asking offenders to rate their likelihood of assault. ...
Research suggests that certain individuals exhibit vulnerability through their gait, and that observers select such individuals as those most likely to experience victimization. It is currently assumed that the vulnerable gait pattern is an expression of one’s submissiveness. To isolate gait movement, Study 1 utilized kinematic point-light display to record 28 individuals walking. The findings suggested that victimization history was related to gait vulnerability. The results also indicated that, contrary to expectation, individuals with more vulnerable features in their gait were more likely to self-report dominant personality characteristics, rather than submissive characteristics. In Study 2, a sample of 129 observers watched the point-light recordings and rated the walkers on their vulnerability to victimization. The results suggested that observers agreed on which walkers were easy targets; they were also accurate in that the walkers they rated as most likely to experience victimization tended to exhibit vulnerable gait cues. The current research is one of the few to explore the relationship between internal dispositions and non-verbal behavior in a sample of self-reported victims. The findings provide exciting insights related to the communicative function of gait, and the characteristics that may put some individuals at a greater risk to be criminally targeted.
... Although there is evidence that the processing of some external stimuli is deficient among psychopathic individuals, other research suggests that psychopathic individuals are unusually adept at identifying certain cues, compared with those lower in psychopathic traits; namely, vulnerability to criminal victimization. Recent research (Book, Costello, & Camilleri, 2013;Wheeler, Book, & Costello, 2009) suggests individuals with elevated levels of psychopathic traits may possess greater skill identifying vulnerable persons as potential targets for criminal victimization. In these prior studies, participants watched videos of individuals walking, and were asked to rate their vulnerability in terms of whether or not the individual would be a "good victim" (i.e., easy to mug). ...
... Thus, it remains unclear whether it is psychopathic traits or criminal experience that is driving this relationship. Second, previous research has examined the relationship between psychopathic traits and victim vulnerability only among males (Wheeler et al., 2009). However, other research demonstrates that psychopathic females do not demonstrate the same cognitive and perceptual deficits that males do (Vitale, Maccoon, & Newman, 2011). ...
... There is some speculation, but scant empirical evidence, to suggest that those with elevated psychopathic traits might be particularly astute at identifying vulnerable individuals. Wheeler et al. (2009) examined the relationship between psychopathic traits and vulnerability to criminal victimization. For their study, they acquired 12 videos of four males and eight females, all of Caucasian descent, walking alone down a hallway. ...
This study replicates and extends prior research indicating that individuals with elevated psychopathic traits are better able to identify vulnerability to criminal victimization. Specifically, the current study aims to further assess this finding, examine if criminal experience aids in the assessment in vulnerability to criminal victimization, and determine if the finding generalizes to females and non-Caucasians. Through an online survey, participants (undergraduate students; n = 247) viewed several videos of people walking alone down a hallway and subsequently rated the vulnerability to criminal victimization of the depicted person. Higher levels of psychopathic traits (measured by the Elemental Psychopathy Assessment) correlated with more accurate assessments of vulnerability when males were assessing videos of males of their same race. Prior criminal behavior, however, did not relate to better accuracy, despite its relation to psychopathic traits. Results for females were not consistent with findings for males, indicating the finding may not generalize across gender. The current findings suggest one mechanism that might explain why those with elevated psychopathic traits are more likely to offend is that they are adept at identifying vulnerability. However, this was only true for males of the same race as the “victim.”
... Studies have established that nonverbal cues such as gait (i.e., the way in which people walk) can be accurate indicators of vulnerability to victimization (Grayson & Stein, 1981;Gunns, Johnston, & Hudson, 2002;Murzynski & Degelman, 1996). Using these nonverbal cues, individuals higher in psychopathic traits appear to be more accurate in identifying victim vulnerability in both student (Ritchie, Blais, Forth, & Book, 2018;Wheeler, Book, & Costello, 2009) and offender samples (Book, Costello, & Camilleri, 2013) than individuals with fewer psychopathic traits. As psychopathy is not the only personality disorder associated with increased victimization, manipulation, and deception, it is possible that the Dark Tetrad, consisting of psychopathy, Machiavellianism, narcissism (Paulhus & Williams, 2002), and more recently, everyday sadism (Buckels, Jones, & Paulhus, 2013), may also be related to increased accuracy in perceiving vulnerability to victimization. ...
... Given that vulnerability is consistently associated with movement cues, it is possible that certain characteristics of observers may actually increase the accuracy in perceiving others' vulnerabilities. Research has demonstrated such effects for people higher in psychopathic traits (Book et al., 2013;Ritchie et al., 2018;Wheeler et al., 2009). Psychopathy encompasses four distinct characteristics: (1) interpersonal (i.e., manipulation), (2) affective (i.e., lack of remorse), (3) behavioral (i.e., impulsivity), and (4) antisocial (i.e., early onset of diverse criminal behaviors; Hare, 2003). ...
... Research has also suggested that psychopathic individuals may have a heightened sensitivity to nonverbal cues indicative of vulnerability (Book et al., 2013;Ritchie et al., 2018;Wheeler et al., 2009). Wheeler et al. (2009 examined the relationship between psychopathy and accuracy in perceiving vulnerability to victimization (i.e., vulnerability to being mugged) through the use of target videos. ...
The current study sought to examine the association between the Dark Tetrad traits and accuracy in assessing a target's vulnerability using nonverbal gait cues. In a sample of 126 undergraduates, accuracy was positively associated with psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and everyday sadism, while narcissism was unrelated to accuracy. A hierarchical linear regression analysis also suggested that there is considerable overlap between these constructs, as Machiavellianism and everyday sadism did not add incrementally to the prediction of accuracy over and above psychopathy. Overall, this study provides support for previous research associating psychopathy with accuracy in perceiving other's vulnerability based on gait cues and raises questions about the construct validity of the Dark Tetrad. While the fault of victimization lies solely on the perpetrator, it is important to explore whether vulnerability cues can be modified to reduce predatory behavior.
... Those with low self-esteem are likely to be compliant and more susceptible to the illtreatment of others (cf., Bowling and Beehr, 2006). Moreover, psychopaths seem to have a certain prowess in picking up on the vulnerability of others (Wheeler et al., 2009). We expect, therefore, leader psychopathy to be more strongly positively related to leader self-serving behavior when followers have low self-esteem, and that follower high self-esteem can act as a buffer against self-serving tendencies of leaders with psychopathic traits. ...
... Other studies indicate that those with psychopathic traits are particularly likely to pick up on those characteristics (Book et al., 2013). For instance, Wheeler et al. (2009) found that psychopathic traits in a non-referred (and presumably not clinically psychopathic) sample increased the accuracy of perceptions of victim vulnerability. More recently, Demetrioff et al. (2017) found that individuals' psychopathy scores were even positively associated with a heightened ability to identify sadness micro-expressions (note that low self-esteem often goes hand in hand with negative emotions) which further indicates their prowess in vulnerability assessment. ...
... "readers" of others, dark personalities, including psychopathic ones, may rely on their ability to draw in vulnerable victims (for instance based on their charisma or good looks) or adopt a "quantity over quality" strategy to find targets and then use manipulation tactics to exploit them. Our studies' results are more in line with other findings that suggest that psychopaths do differentiate between targets (Wheeler et al., 2009;Book et al., 2013;Demetrioff et al., 2017). Perhaps future research could look at potential moderators in order to explain when psychopaths make a distinction between potential targets and when they do not. ...
Recent instances of corporate misconduct and examples of blatant leader self-serving behavior have rekindled interest in leader personality traits as antecedents of negative leader behavior. The current research builds upon that work, and examines the relationship between leader psychopathy and leader self-serving behavior. Moreover, we investigate whether follower self-esteem affects the occurrence of self-serving behavior in leaders with psychopathic tendencies. We predict that self-serving behaviors by psychopathic leaders are more likely to occur in the interaction with followers low in self-esteem. We first conducted an experimental study (N = 156), in which we manipulated follower self-esteem, measured leader psychopathy, and assessed their combined effect on leader self-serving behavior using an ultimatum game. We then conducted a multi-source field study (N = 124 leader–follower dyads) using questionnaires to assess leader psychopathy, follower self-esteem, and perceived leader self-serving behavior. Across both studies, we found that leader psychopathy was positively related to their self-serving behavior, but only when followers had low rather than high self-esteem. As expected, our studies showed that the degree to which (perceived) psychopathic traits of leaders are reflected in their behavior depends on the characteristics of their followers. Apparently, the behavioral expression of negative leader traits is not only a matter of the trait strength, but instead is the result of the interplay between leader and follower in a certain context.
... Патологичните личностни черти, идентифицирани в DSM-5, са свързани с междуличностна дисфункция, което предполага, че неадаптивните личностни черти могат да доведат до проблеми в междуличностните отношения (Wright, A., et. al., 2012). ...
... Разбирането на склонността към междуличностна виктимизация е от решаващо значение за справяне с нейните последици в личен и групов контекст. Освен това е доказано, че индивиди с по-високи нива на психопатични черти притежават по-голяма способност да оценяват точно уязвимостта към виктимизация (Wheeler, S., Book, A., & Costello, K., 2009). ...
The report presents the adaptation of the Tendency for In-terpersonal Victimhood (TIV) Scale to a Bulgarian sample, conducted from July to September 2023. It reveals a unique intermingling of the factors of rumination and need for recognition, suggesting a culturally specific approach to processing interpersonal offences. Key findings indicate that items associated with high cognitive rumination and anger reflect prevalent experiences in the Bulgarian adaptation, potentially underlying anxiety traits. The data collected electronically from 1,796 individuals, predominantly women, support the notion of higher TIV scores linked to moral elitism and lack of empathy. This points to a cultural inclination for moral perfectionism, yet not with higher moral standards, but rather with a tendency to diminish oth-ers' standards as a self-evaluative measure within social groups.
... Adapted from Wheeler et al. (2009), where participants were asked to rate a target's perceived vulnerability, the Vulnerability Questionnaire is a two-item self-report survey used to assess self-perceived vulnerability to future sexual (e.g. sexual coercion and sexual assault) and nonsexual violent (e.g. ...
... Generalizability concerns may be further compounded by the focus on subjective selfperceptions of vulnerability in this study, as opposed to other-perceptions (Ritchie et al., 2018;Wheeler et al., 2009) or multiple-item self-report measures used in previous research (e.g. Social Vulnerability Scale; Pinsker et al., 2006;Chung and Charles, 2016). ...
Purpose
Despite representing a relatively small portion of the population, those who experience repeat victimization make up a significant share of all sexual and violent crimes, implying that perpetrators target them repeatedly. Indeed, research reveals specific traits (e.g. submissiveness) and behaviors (e.g. gait) related to past victimization or vulnerability. The purpose of this study is to explore the link between personality traits, self-assessed vulnerability and nonverbal cues.
Design/methodology/approach
In all, 40 undergraduate Canadian women were videotaped while recording a dating profile. Self-report measures of assertiveness, personality traits and vulnerability ratings for future sexual or violent victimization were obtained following the video-recording. The videotape was coded for nonverbal behaviors that have been related to assertiveness or submissiveness.
Findings
Self-perceived sexual vulnerability correlated with reduced assertiveness and dominance and increased emotionality (e.g. fear and anxiety). Additionally, nonverbal behaviors differed based on personality traits: self-touch was linked to lower assertiveness, dominance and extraversion and higher submissiveness, emotionality and warm-agreeableness.
Originality/value
To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study of its kind to consider the relationships between personality, self-perceived vulnerability and nonverbal behaviors among college-aged women. Potential implications, including enhancing autonomy and self-efficacy, are discussed.
... However, there is evidence to suggest that individuals with psychopathic traits have an increased ability to recognise vulnerability [45]. For example, Wheeler, Book, and Costello [46] covertly recorded a number of female participants that later identified themselves as having been victimised or not victimised in the past. Male participants then rated the female participants' gait for perceived vulnerability. ...
... The ability to accurately select the cuter of each image pair was high across all participants and the results suggests that people with higher levels of psychopathic traits and poorer attitudes towards animals are just as able to recognise infant features as other individuals. Studies with a time limit on responses have identified deficits in emotional recognition in psychopaths while those without time limits tend to find no such deficits [46]. However, in the current study, while participants were instructed to choose an answer in the forced-choice task as quickly as possible, no time limit was imposed. ...
Infant features are physical traits that are characteristic of human infants and include facial features such as large and low-lying eyes, and a small nose and mouth. Animals possessing high levels of infant features elicit care-giving responses in humans. Despite this, animal cruelty is a common occurrence. The aim of this research was to determine whether the ability to recognise and/or attend to infant features is linked to subclinical psychopathic traits and attitudes towards animals. Using a community sample, participants (n = 387) completed a cuteness forced-choice task. Self-reported psychopathy and attitude towards animals were not related to the participants' ability to detect cues of cuteness in human infants and animals. In a second study, participants (n = 142) were screened for low versus high primary psychopathy and low versus high animal attitude scores. A Psychopathy-Attitude Composite score was created and a subset of participants (n = 50) from the upper and lower quartiles completed a free-viewing eye-tracking task where 'Cute', 'Neutral, 'Monetary' and 'Control' images were presented in pairs. Higher levels of psychopathic traits and an anti-animal welfare attitude were associated with decreased attention to 'Cute' images in terms of decreased dwell time, mean fixation duration and mean fixation count, measures of voluntary attention. There were a number of interactions between Psychopathy-Attitude Composite classification and attention to each image category in terms of dwell time, first fixation duration, mean fixation duration and fixation count. These findings support the theory that individuals with psychopathic traits recognise facial cues of vulnerability but choose to give them reduced attentional priority. This may have implications for animal welfare.
... Psychopathic offenders were more accurate in assessing vulnerability in women through gait cues than were nonpsychopathic offenders (Book et al. 2013). Likewise, in a small sample of male undergraduate students, those with higher levels of psychopathic traits were more accurate than students with lower levels of psychopathic traits in assessing vulnerability using gait cues (Wheeler et al. 2009). Further, one study found that superior accuracy in detecting vulnerability to violent victimization was specific to male students who were higher in psychopathic traits; female students with higher psychopathic traits did not demonstrate higher accuracy (Ritchie et al. 2018). ...
... What is not clear from these studies is whether psychopathic traits are related to behaving differently depending on the other person's characteristics. That is, although the more psychopathic individuals were effective at evaluating vulnerability (Ritchie et al. 2018;Wheeler et al. 2009), these studies did not provide evidence regarding the behavior of the psychopathic individuals toward vulnerable and less-vulnerable others. ...
We investigated the Cheater-Hawk Hypothesis of psychopathy in a sample of 205 undergraduate students. Participants played The Sims 3 video game with four pre-made same-sex roommate characters whose personalities were selected to represent a cheater, a hawk, a cooperator, and a dove. Interactions between game characters were coded for charm, friendliness, and provoked/unprovoked aggression (“mean” and “fight” behaviors). Overall, people with psychopathic traits used more hawk behaviors (mean and fight behaviors), irrespective of character, but they did not use more of the cheater-related behaviors (“friendly,” “funny,” and “complimenting” behaviors). With respect to specific characters, participants with psychopathic traits used primarily hawk behaviors with the cheater and dove and cheater behaviors with the hawk (in keeping with predictions). Overall, there was some support for the Cheater-Hawk Hypothesis. As well, people higher on psychopathic traits appear to engage in different behaviors depending upon the target of their behavior. Overall, the study also lends support to the use of video game paradigms for investigating behavior.
... While there are some findings that the individuals high on dark traits are more accurate in assessing the characteristics of others (e.g. Book, Quinsey, & Langford, 2007;Lyons, Croft, Fairhurst, Varley, & Wilson, 2017;Wheeler, Book, & Costello, 2009), some studies indicate that this is not the case (e.g. Black et al., 2014;Jusyte & Schönenberg, 2017;Wai & Tiliopoulos, 2012). ...
... A higher inclination to judge others as criminals among Machiavellians is maybe related to the notion that women higher on Machiavellianism use manipulation and aggression in interpersonal relationships (Abell & Brewer, 2014;Abell, Brewer, Qualter, & Austin, 2016;Rauthmann, 2013). Some of the previous research has shown that psychopathy is linked to higher accuracy in the identification of some characteristics of the observed individuals (Wheeler et al., 2009); however, our data indicate this is not the case when it comes to accuracy of appearance-based criminality judgements. Since there is evidence that the psychopathy-prone females do not demonstrate the same cognitive and perceptual deficits as the psychopathy-prone males (e.g., Vitale, Maccoon, Newman, 2011), it is possible that the positive correlation between psychopathy scores and accuracy in the identification of certain characteristics (such as vulnerability) exists only in males, which has been corroborated by our results. ...
Every day, people make quick, spontaneous and automatic appearance-based inferences of others. This is particularly true for social attributes, such as intelligence or attractiveness, but also aggression and criminality. There are also indications that certain personality traits, such as the dark traits (i.e. Machiavellianism, narcissism, psychopathy, sadism), influence the degree of accuracy of appearance-based inferences, even though not all authors agree to this. Therefore, this study aims to investigate whether there are interpersonal advantages related to the dark traits when assessing someone's criminality. For that purpose, an on-line study was conducted on a convenience sample of 676 adult females, whose task was to assess whether a certain person was a criminal or not based on their photograph. The results have shown that narcissism and Machiavellianism were associated with a greater tendency of indicating that someone is a criminal, reflecting an underlying negative bias that the individuals high on these traits hold about people in general.
... To je subjektivni svet koji je u ključnim egzistencijalnim aspektima fundamentalno drugačiji od našeg, koji ilustruje ponor o kojem Jaspers piše ("ovde je više nego igde definitivan ponor između različito nastrojenih ljudi" 1978:416) -oni ne pokazuju suštinsko razumevanje za ono što je za nas najprirodnije ili čemu pridajemo najveći poverenje, izgrađen sistem vrednosti, briga, itd." (Bair 2002;Jonason, Schmitt 2012prema Međedović 2015. Oni mogu u većoj meri od drugih ljudi da prepoznaju vulnerabilne osobe -kao potencijalne objekte njihove eksploatacije (Wheeler, Book, Costello 2009 značaj, uskraćeni su za naše moralno iskustvo i ne razumeju smisao međuljudskih odnosa kako ih većina ljudi doživljava, a iz takvog doživljaja sveta proizilazi nestabilan životni stil obeležen postupcima koji odudaraju (i po stepenu i po učestalosti) od uobičajenog ponašanja većine ljudi. ...
The approach to psychopathy in this paper is from the phenomenological perspective – the character of the subjective experience of the primary type of psychopathy is ex-plored. Bearing in mind the dimensionality of psychopathy, this approach corresponds to the prototypical or typical cases presented in the prominent studies on this phe-nomenon and is relevant to the basic intention of our research – questioning the the-sis that there are no qualitative differences between psychopaths and non-psycho-paths. Based on the basic patterns of experience, interpersonal aspects and personality functioning, the arguments presented in this paper support the claim that there are qualitative differences between psychopaths and other people. From this phenome-nological-existential perspective, psychopathy is seen as a modified way of being-in-the-world among people, not with them, i.e. the existence of diminished existential possibilities due to inhibited key human capacities, which differ from those universally human in the fundamental aspects of human existence.
... This suggests that automatic and immediate mimicry of emotions may be present and functioning in psychopathy. Where individuals with elevated psychopathic traits may differ from others is how (or if) they use this information when dealing with others, including for self-gain (Wheeler et al., 2009). ...
Psychopathic traits are associated with lower levels of Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, and Agreeableness from the HEXACO model, which capture antisocial traits. Yet, individuals with psychopathic traits—men in particular—appear to successfully acquire dating partners despite these traits. We examine in this paper whether men higher in psychopathic traits might shift their personality traits to mimic those that are more prosocial to appear more attractive to prospective dates. Participants were 165 heterosexual college men who completed the HEXACO and then watched a woman’s dating video. After the video, participants completed the HEXACO again with the instructions to be appealing to the woman in the video. Results showed that psychopathic traits were associated with greater increases in Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, and Agreeableness, and fewer increases in Extraversion across the HEXACO profiles. The observed increases in Honesty-Humility, Emotionality, and Agreeableness may represent men’s attempts at mimicking prosocial personality traits to appear more attractive as a potential partner. The findings suggest that psychopathic traits may affect men’s willingness to deceptively enhance prosocial personality traits, possibly as a means to appeal to prospective partners.
... Third, it is plausible that results for nonverbal behaviors were blunted because of the categories of nonverbal behaviors being too broad. Specifically, in community/university samples where participants are historically unable to identify the rationale behind their vulnerability judgments (Ritchie et al., 2019;Wheeler et al., 2009), results may have been different if more specific examples of nonverbal behaviors were provided. Fourth, as the targets from the videos and observers were drawn from the same pool of undergraduate students, it is possible that the observer may have come in to contact, and thus have some familiarity with a target from the video. ...
Purpose – In women, having a history of sexual victimization has been linked to certain personality traits (e.g. low levels of assertiveness) and nonverbal behaviors (e.g. fewer head movements). The majority of research in this area, however, has considered how self-reported personality traits and gait relate to victimization. As such, the present study aims to examine how observers’ perceptions of personality impact judgments of targets’ vulnerability to sexual and violent victimization, and how the nonverbal behaviors used when making these judgments may vary depending on perceived personality traits.
Design/methodology/approach – A total of 309 participants watched eight audio-less videos of a woman speaking. Following each video, participants rated each woman on varying personality and emotionality traits, as well as their perception of how vulnerable the woman was to future victimization, and how they came to their decision according to a number of predetermined nonverbal cues.
Findings – Consistent with previous research, observers’ perceptions of sexual vulnerability were negatively related to perceptions of targets’ self-esteem and confidence, and positively related to anxiety. While violent vulnerability displayed a similar pattern of results, the nonverbal behaviors cited during the vulnerability appraisal process varied between personality traits. Though few results emerged within the latter query, anxiety exhibited the majority of all significant relationships, including being positively associated with facial expressions and upper and lower body movements.
Originality/value – Results suggest that different behavioral and personality interventions (e.g. increasing self-esteem) may serve to increase self-efficacy, autonomy and confidence, as well as help women feel more in control of their destiny and interpersonal communications.
... Women in both Kirkman (2005) and Brown and Leedom (2008) described how at the beginning of the relationship their former partners were highly loving and attentive. Individuals with psychopathic traits are able to detect nonverbal and personality cues of vulnerability (Book et al., 2013(Book et al., , 2021Ritchie et al., 2018Ritchie et al., , 2019Visser et al., 2020;Wheeler et al., 2009), to mimic emotions of fear and remorse (Book et al., 2015;Brazil et al., 2021), and to hide feelings of embarrassment and fear when telling deceptive stories (Porter et al., 2011). These findings suggest that individuals with psychopathic traits may be able to identify potentially vulnerable individuals, obtain their trust, before exploiting and harming them. ...
Limited research exists on the impact of psychopathy within romantic relationships. We examined mental and physical health consequences reported by intimate partners of individuals with psychopathic traits. Additionally, we explored whether psychopathy severity and coping impacted the severity of posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptoms. Four hundred fifty-seven former and current intimate partners of individuals with psychopathic traits were recruited from online support groups. Victims reported a variety of abusive experiences and various negative symptomatology involving emotional, biological, behavioral, cognitive, and interpersonal consequences. Psychopathy severity and maladaptive coping were significantly related to increased PTSD and depression, while adaptive coping was only related to decreased depression. Regression analyses revealed that experiencing many forms of victimization predicted increased PTSD and depression symptoms. Examining the specific consequences experienced by intimate partners of individuals with psychopathic traits can aid the development of individualized treatment interventions aimed at symptom mitigation, recovery, and prevention of future victimization.
... Men's physical strength is accurately inferred through their gait, with physically strong men being perceived as more dominant than weak men (Fink et al., 2016). Conversely, men who report having been previously victimized display cues to vulnerability in their gaits (Wheeler et al., 2009). Future research would benefit from presenting movement information among physically strong men displaying vulnerable behavior. ...
Humans infer men’s formidability through their facial width-to-height ratio (fWHR), subsequently eliciting perceptions of men’s capability to engage in aggressive physical conflict. Inferring formidable men as being particularly resistant to mental distress from physical conflict may pose downstream consequences, such as biasing mental health assessments that impede optimal treatment recommendations. Participants assessed potential mental distress of hypothetical military service members who varied in fWHR and indicated their willingness to assess and treat these symptoms. Formidable men were inferred as mentally tough, further biasing perceptions of them as not experiencing mental distress and not receiving subsequent care. We further replicated infrahumanization effects surrounding formidable men demonstrating individuals perceive them as less capable of feeling complex emotions, though treatment recommendations were driven by mental toughness perceptions rather than infrahumanization. Results are framed from an evolutionary perspective of affordance judgments. We discuss translational implications for clinical mental health.
... Some researchers propose that psychopathy is associated with deficits in the ability to recognise and interpret the emotional state of others (e.g., Blair, 2006Blair, , 2019Blair et al., 2006;Blair and Zhang, 2020). However, others argue that individuals with psychopathic traits have a similar, or even enhanced ability to perceive the emotions of others, in comparison to the general population (e.g., Wheeler et al., 2009;Book et al., 2013). It has also been suggested an enhanced ability to take the perspective of others may allow individuals with elevated psychopathic traits to detect and subsequently manipulate vulnerable individuals. ...
Social cognition is the ability to identify, understand, and interpret mental states and emotions. Psychopathic traits are typically described in two ways; Primary: shallow affect, emotional detachment, and relationship difficulties, and Secondary Psychopathic Traits: antisocial traits, impulsiveness, and emotional dysregulation. People with high psychopathic traits tend to perform lower on measures of social cognition. This study investigated the relationship of social cognition (mentalising) to primary and secondary psychopathic traits in a non-clinical sample, and investigated the psychometric properties of the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) Short Forms (A and B). A community-based male sample (N = 1,000; age range 18–78) was recruited through an online platform. Psychopathic traits were measured using Levenson, Kiehl, and Fitzpatrick's Self-Report Psychopathy Scale, and stratified into Primary and Secondary Psychopathic traits. Secondary validation of the RMET Short Forms was completed investigating scale reliability, and validity. Findings suggest excellent psychometrics in a large community cohort for the RMET Short Forms (A and B), with significant negative correlations on social cognitive performance and high self-report psychopathy. The item valence within the social cognitive measure (positive, negative, and neutral affect stimuli) was also examined, and correlated significantly with both Primary and Secondary Psychopathic traits. This study provides further validation of the RMET Short Forms (A and B), and adds to the literature on the scale by investigating performance on short-form specific valence. This study further suggests that in a non-clinical community sample of males, that higher psychopathic traits correlated significantly, and negatively, with social cognitive performance.
... One well-established exploitability cue is a slow, awkward gait, which indicates vulnerability to physical attack (Grayson & Stein, 1981;Gunns et al., 2002). In fact, among both the general public and imprisoned criminals, people with psychopathic personality traits can accurately identify people with a history of victimization by watching a video of them walking (Book et al., 2013;Wheeler et al., 2009). ...
Exploitation of others is one method that humans use to acquire resources. People use cues to identify targets for exploitation, and evolutionary psychology predicts that the cues correspond to specific domains of exploitability. Previous research suggests that people perceive mental illness as a cue indicating sexual exploitability, but it is not clear if perceptions of exploitability are specific to sex or if they generalize to other domains. The current research examined generalized associations between exploitability and mental illness. Study 1 (N = 165) showed that participants rated cues of exploitability as more typical of people with mental illness than people without mental illness. In Study 2 (N = 236) participants rated people with mental illness as having increased vulnerability to exploitation across domains including abuse, cheating, cuckolding, sexual coercion, and killing. In Study 3 (N = 384) and Study 4 (N = 331), participants evaluated exploitability in real-world scenarios. In both studies, participants perceived a person with mental illness as significantly more exploitable for sex and money than a person with physical illness. Overall, the results of this research suggest that people perceive mental illness as a generalized cue of exploitability.
... Whereas previous research has shown that people's judgment of 2-sec displays of pictures of sex offenders' faces corresponds with actual violent history of the offenders (Stillman et al., 2010), the levels of minor aggression assessed in the children in the current study might be less easy to perceive. And whereas men scoring high on psychopathy were able to accurately identify targets that had previously been victimized based on thin-slice clips (Wheeler et al., 2009), non-psychopathic judges were not able to correctly make such judgments when viewing thin slices clips of children interacting in the current study. Extreme aggressiveness on the side of the targets, or psychopathic traits on the side of the judges might be necessary prerequisites in order for aggression and victimization to be correctly identified. ...
The moment a child walks into a new classroom, teachers and classmates form an impression based on minimal information. Yet, little is known about the accuracy of such impressions when it concerns children’s social functioning at school. The current study examined the accuracy of children’s, teachers’ and adults’ impressions of 18 unacquainted children based on thin slices of behavior. The likeability, popularity, prosocial behavior, aggression, and exclusion of these children were judged by 101 children, 79 elementary school teachers, and 68 young adults based on 20-second video clips. Judges were better than chance in predicting popularity and prosocial behavior, but worse than chance in predicting aggression and exclusion. Female judges were more accurate judging social exclusion of same-sex than other-sex targets. Teachers were more accurate than children in their judgments of prosocial behavior. The current study shows that confidence in one’s impression of aggression and exclusion in unacquainted children based on minimal information is not warranted.
... (Holmes and Holmes 2009: 221). Subsequent studies have confirmed that psychopathic individuals are significantly better than the general population at judging victim vulnerability by the way someone walks (Wheeler, Book, and Costello 2009). Thus, awareness of one's body language and gait is important to avoid sending nonverbal cues indicating a negotiator's vulnerability (Book, Costello, and Camilleri 2013). ...
Recent research suggests that many times one or both parties in an interaction will struggle with irrationality or dysfunction. Understanding the types of dysfunctional personalities that negotiators might encounter, and how to deal with them, becomes an important measure of preparation for any professional negotiator. For this reason, this article reviews how better to identify, understand, and negotiate with counterparts who exhibit challenging, difficult, and dysfunctional behaviors.
... These findings also explore concerns in the general perpetrator literature regarding whether perpetrators select victims thought to be vulnerable (see, for example, Wheeler et al., 2009). Given the number of participants who discussed characteristics of their victims that might be perceived vulnerabilities, and therefore more attractive targets, more research needs to be done in this area. ...
There has been an increase in intimate partner violence (IPV) research regarding the deaf population; however, no studies to date obtained data directly from members of the deaf population who disclose IPV perpetration. This community-based participatory research study explored the social context of IPV perpetration involving the deaf population through interviews with deaf or hard-of-hearing individuals who self-identified as perpetrating either physical or sexual abuse in an intimate relationship where at least one partner was deaf. Through semi-structured interviews using video relay, an interdisciplinary research team, which included deaf investigators, explored questions which included IPV triggers, types of IPV, weapon use, childhood victimization, and interactions with first responders and response systems (e.g., criminal justice, medical). The types of IPV abuse, resulting injuries, and systems used are discussed. The team collectively identified key elements of abuse and their relationships to each other through concept mapping of each interview. Through a method of constant comparison, we identified several themes: intergenerational transmission of violence, fund of information concerns, communication barriers with family and friends and resulting frustration, and help-seeking challenges. Many of these themes are specific to the deaf population, illustrating the need for continued research to understand IPV in diverse communities. Findings are compared with IPV trends in the general (hearing) population, and prompt concerns that universal IPV interventions may not effectively address the needs of the deaf population. Recommendations for diversifying screening efforts, modifying screening tools, and tailoring interventions to better address IPV involving deaf and hard-of-hearing populations are discussed.
... Rather, understanding the consequences of victimization should be used to aid victims in coping with their experiences. Limited research has shown that those who are victimized exhibit automatic responses and/or behavior related to victimization and vulnerability to assault, for example, startle response (Herman, 1992), chronic hyperarousal (Burgess & Holmstrom, 1974;van der Kolk, 1986;van der Kolk & Saporta, 1991), and walking gait (Book et al., 2010;Grayson & Stein, 1981;Gunns et al., 2002;Sakaguchi & Hasegawa, 2006;Wheeler et al., 2009). To some degree, measures of implicit social cognition have been predictive of automatic actions-those that are impulsive, uncontrollable, or unintentional (Deutsch & Strack, 2010). ...
Contextually salient social identities are those that individuals may not think of often but that may be temporarily activated by relevant situational cues. We hypothesized that victim, one of many identities people may possess, is a contextually salient identity that operates both implicitly and explicitly. To test this hypothesis, the present research tests the effect of a situational victimization cue on implicit and explicit self-victim associations. We utilized an experiment with a 2 (Victimization salience: yes vs. no) × 2 (Past victimization experience: yes vs. no) between-participants design. One hundred eighty-one undergraduate student participants were recruited and randomized into one of two conditions: (a) an experimental condition reminding them of a previous victimization experience or (b) a control condition whereby they did not receive a reminder. All participants then completed one Single-Category Implicit Association Test, and self-report measures of explicit self-victim associations and victimization experience. Between-participants analyses of variance were used to analyze data. Results indicated that individuals who were reminded of a previous victimization exhibited stronger explicit and implicit self-victim associations compared to those who were not reminded. This research provides initial evidence that victim is a contextually salient identity, which has implications for the factors and processes underlying identity formation, revictimization, and the prevention of repeat victimization.
... One well-established exploitability cue is a slow, awkward gait, which indicates vulnerability to physical attack (Grayson & Stein, 1981;Gunns et al., 2002). In fact, among both the general public and imprisoned criminals, people with psychopathic personality traits can accurately identify people with a history of victimization by watching a video of them walking (Book et al., 2013;Wheeler et al., 2009). ...
Exploitation of others is a method for acquiring the resources necessary for survival and reproduction. Both men and women agree upon a variety of specific cues that suggest women’s vulnerability to sexual exploitation. The current research documented mental illness as an additional cue of sexual exploitability. Study 1 (N = 189) demonstrated that people rate cues of sexual exploitability as significantly more typical of people with mental illness than people without mental illness. Participants in Study 2 (N = 189) rated people with mental illness in general to be significantly more susceptible to strategies of sexual exploitation than people without mental illness. The method of Study 3 (N = 189) replicated the results of Study 2 using specific mental and physical illnesses, illustrating that sexual exploitability is unique to mental illness. Study 4 (N = 396) described a scenario of a man evaluating a woman for a short-term sexual relationship. Participants perceived a woman with a mental illness as significantly easier to exploit for sex than a woman with a physical illness or no illness. Study 5 (N = 325) asked male and female participants to evaluate a potential mate with either a mental or physical illness, and perceptions of exploitability were significantly higher for the mate with mental illness. Overall, the results supported previous research documenting cues of sexual exploitability and extended those cues to include mental illness.
... Although some research has failed to find a relationship between psychopathy and the ability to perceive emotions and vulnerability in others (see Hastings, Tagney, & Stuewig, 2008;Long & Titone, 2007), several studies have found notable associations. For example, higher levels of psychopathy were found to be associated with greater accuracy of identifying emotions and emotional intensity (Book, Quinsey, & Langford, 2007), determining history of victimisation based on walking gait (Wheeler, Book, & Costello, 2009) and ability to recall and recognise sad, unsuccessful females (Wilson, Demetrioff, & Porter, 2008). Psychopathy has also been associated with a greater judgement and accuracy of sad micro-expressions of emotion, characterised by brief involuntary emotional leakage of an emotion at a rate of 1/25th of second (Demetrioff, Porter, & Baker, 2017). ...
Psychopathy, the dark triad and related personality disorders may have negative consequences within organisations, individuals and society. There may, however, be positive benefits in terms of creativity and reaction to stressful circumstances and extreme environments. The developing body of research is beginning to address some elements of the paradoxes related to psychopathy. In this chapter, the focus is on both concluding the key themes emerging in the field and moreover, providing guidance for addressing and minimising the exposure to organisational, societal and individual threats that can easily become toxic to those caught in the psychopathic “tangled web”.
... These similar characteristics are red flags, creating a similar stimulus and leading such targets to be repeatedly victimized by different offenders. The study conducted by Wheeler, Book, and Costello (2009) indicates that subjects who scored higher in psychopathic traits were more accurate at judging vulnerability in potential victims through body language, including factors as simple as their walking style. Given that these characteristics are constant, revictimization can occur over prolonged periods of time, even at the hands of different perpetrators (Herrera, 2006). ...
Objectives
In recognition of the vulnerable situation that children and adolescents face as victims of sexual crimes, this research, the first of its kind in Latin America, studies the magnitude and characteristics of revictimization through child sexual abuse. This study aimed to provide current statistics on revictimization through child sexual abuse in Chile.
Methods
The study draws from a sample of 18,006 children and adolescent victims of sexual crimes. It examines cases reported in 2012 throughout Chile and encompasses all additional reports of sexual victimization filed by the same victims through January 2015. Information taken from the criminal case (SAF) database provided by the Chilean Prosecutor’s Office, and from National Service for Minors ( Servicio Nacional de Menores , SENAME).
Results
12.2% of victims in the sample filed a new report during the period studied, on average 254 days after the first event was filed. In 40.1% of the cases, the perpetrator in the second case was the same as in the original victimization; however, in 59.9% of cases the perpetrator was a different person. Revictimization by the original perpetrator generally occurs sooner, within half of the time reported for a revictimization by a new perpetrator.
Conclusions
The frequency of revictimization in child sexual abuse is similar to that seen in other regions but occurs within shorter time frames than those reported globally.
... However, a number of findings challenge this mechanistic account, both by focusing on the interplay between attention and motivation processes, and by considering the efficacy of empathy interventions. First, evidence has been accumulating that malevolent motivations focus attentional resources towards social cues (Paulhus, Curtis & Jones, 2018), like physical cues indicating past victimization (Book, Costello, Camilleri, 2013;Denardo-Roney, Falkenbach, & Aveson, 2018;Ritchie, Blais, Forth & Book, 2018;Wheeler, Book & Costello, 2009), personal descriptions of oneself as vulnerable (Wilson, Demetrioff, & Porter, 2008) and verbal cues of dominance (Book, Quinsey, & Langford, 2007). ...
Neuroscientists who have studied bullying have primarily focused on the psychopathology of diagnosable offenders or the resulting symptomatology of victimization. Less attention has been given to theories that suggest that bullying may be an interpersonal strategy. In an exploratory study, we recruited a sample of adolescents (N = 24) who engaged in high rates of delinquent behavior and collected self-report ratings of bullying behaviors. During an fMRI scan, adolescents observed instances of social exclusion and social inclusion. The adolescents’ self-reported bullying was associated with greater ventral striatum, amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex, and insula activation when viewing social exclusion > social inclusion. Activation in these regions is commonly associated with reward-learning, salience monitoring, and motivational processes, suggesting that bullies show altered processing of interpersonal cues and social dynamic experiences in their environment. Our findings highlight the need for developmental neuroscientists to further explore the role of social motivation in processing socio-affective information, with a particular focus on goal-directed antisocial behavior.
... A source of unease with some theories implicating risky behavior in revictimization is that they might be misinterpreted as victim-blaming. A marked alternative, again in the context of the link between revictimization and risky sexual behavior, is suggested by studies showing that perpetrators are adept at identifying previously assaulted individuals on the basis of their body language alone (Grayson & Stein, 1981) and that this skill is enhanced in those with psychopathic traits (Wheeler, Book, & Costello, 2009). Psychopathic traits, which include callousness toward others' distress as well as manipulative skill and charm, also may aid perpetrators in inducing victims to engage in risky behaviors and overcoming their resistance. ...
A substantial body of research confirms that trauma exposure predicts adolescent involvement in the justice system, although the mechanisms accounting for this association are not well understood. The most recent revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM‐5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013, Washington, DC) diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder introduced a new symptom, that of
“self‐destructive or risky behavior,” which may have particular relevance to understanding posttraumatic reactions in the adolescent period and the processes by which trauma becomes associated with offending. The present article reviews evidence supporting the link between trauma exposure and self‐harming or recklessness and outlines
theories that propose biological and psychological functions of these behaviors, which can be understood as representing the proposed construct of posttraumatic risk‐seeking. Implications for future research and interventions with traumatized youth are discussed.
... A source of unease with some theories implicating risky behavior in revictimization is that they might be misinterpreted as victim-blaming. A marked alternative, again in the context of the link between revictimization and risky sexual behavior, is suggested by studies showing that perpetrators are adept at identifying previously assaulted individuals on the basis of their body language alone (Grayson & Stein, 1981) and that this skill is enhanced in those with psychopathic traits (Wheeler, Book, & Costello, 2009). Psychopathic traits, which include callousness toward others' distress as well as manipulative skill and charm, also may aid perpetrators in inducing victims to engage in risky behaviors and overcoming their resistance. ...
A substantial body of research confirms that trauma exposure predicts adolescent involvement in the justice system, although the mechanisms accounting for this association are not well-understood. The most recent revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-5; American Psychiatric Association, 2013) diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder introduced a new symptom, that of “self-destructive or risky behavior,” which may have particular relevance to understanding posttraumatic reactions in the adolescent period and the processes by which trauma becomes associated with offending. The present paper reviews evidence supporting the link between trauma exposure and self-harming or recklessness and outlines theories that propose biological and psychological functions of these behaviors, which can be understood as representing the proposed construct of posttraumatic risk-seeking. Implications for future research and interventions with traumatized youth are discussed.
... The main reason for this possibility of a reduced risk for victimization among psychopaths comes from evidence that psychopaths are more adept than nonpsychopaths at picking vulnerable targets. To do so, psychopaths have been shown to assess vulnerability to victimization by focusing on visible characteristics, such as gait (Book, Costello, & Camilleri, 2013;Wheeler, Book, & Costello, 2009). If that is the case-and psychopaths are better able to identify vulnerable victims than are nonpsychopaths-then there are two noteworthy outcomes. ...
Previous research links psychopathic traits with involvement in criminal behavior and numerous negative life outcomes. To date, however, a relatively limited amount of research has examined whether psychopathic traits confer an increased risk of victimization. This area of research is of interest as some scholars contend that psychopathic traits may confer several advantages for life outcomes including outcomes related to criminal conduct. As a result, psychopaths may be at a decreased risk of victimization. On the contrary, research examining the victim–offender overlap indicates that as psychopaths are likely to be involved in criminal behavior they would be more likely to be victimized. This article addresses this gap in the literature by examining whether psychopathic personality traits are associated with odds of victimization in a large nationally representative sample of Americans from adolescence to adulthood. Specifically, our study employs logistic regression and Poisson regression to test associations between psychopathic personality traits and victimization in data drawn from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). Our findings reveal that psychopathic personality traits are positively associated with odds of victimization in adolescence and adulthood. In addition, our findings indicate that psychopathic personality traits interact with criminal involvement to predict odds of victimization. The findings of our study have implications for the literatures concerning successful psychopathy and the victim–offender overlap.
... The fact that psychopaths are able to understand others' motivations and actions and, yet, are not affected by the usual accompanying feelings has been described by Lorenz and Newman (2002) as the ''emotion paradox,'' and would be inherently useful in being a social predator, allowing for a callous disregard for others, a lack of guilt, and enabling exploitation and aggression without the usual negative emotional consequences. Research suggests that people scoring high on psychopathic traits-both undergraduate students and inmates-are adept at judging vulnerability in individuals unknown to them after watching a short video-taped interaction (Book et al. 2007), as well as being able to accurately pick victims of historical abuse based on their gait alone (Book et al. 2007;Wheeler et al. 2009). In these studies, raters watched short video-clips of targets walking and rated their likelihood of having been victimized. ...
The construct of psychopathy is typically viewed as a psychopathology, and more specifically, a severe personality disorder with manifest psychobiological deficiencies. There is an alternative perspective that certain aspects of psychopathy are evolutionarily adaptive, and confer an advantage at both the individual and group level. In this article, we explore the research on psychopathy as it relates to social, sexual, and violent predation to demonstrate that psychopathy provides an adaptive psychobiological template for success. Utilizing Meloy's (1988, 2006) ten normative criteria for predatory violence, it appears psychopathy research findings over the past 30 years facilitate four domains of predatory behavior in humans: calmness, rationality, attention, and fantasy.
The human body communicates messages from its appearance and its movements. The processes underlying those movements are a function of our thoughts and feelings. This chapter will examine the distal and proximal factors that may account for these movements and their signals, through processes such as evolution, Darwin’s application of evolution to emotions, and embodied cognition. We will end with a discussion of how these account for more complex interpersonal states such as immediacy, rapport, trust, and deception, as well as a brief description of coding systems.
Introduction
Trial by jury is a longstanding legal tradition used in common law jurisdictions to try the most serious of criminal cases. Yet, despite hearing the same trial evidence, individual jurors often arrive at different verdict decisions, indicating that they may be impacted by more than the evidence presented at trial. This study therefore sought to investigate the role of jurors’ psychopathology, attitudinal, experiential, and demographic characteristics upon individual verdict decisions.
Methods
Adopting an improved mock trial paradigm, 108 jury-eligible participants took part in one of nine identical 12-person mock trial simulations depicting a videotaped recreation of an intimate partner rape trial. Pre-trial, mock-jurors completed a psychosocial survey capturing their psychopathic personality traits (affective and cognitive responsiveness, interpersonal manipulation; egocentricity), rape myth beliefs, victimization experiences and demographics. Post-trial, jurors deliberated to reach a collective group decision and individual verdict decisions were recorded pre- and post-deliberation.
Results
Binary logistic regression analyses revealed rape myth beliefs and juror ethnicity were significantly related to verdict decisions both pre- and post-deliberation. Post-deliberation, decreased affective responsiveness (empathy) and experience of sexual victimization were also found to be significant predictors of guilty verdict selections.
Discussion
These findings indicate for the first time that within an intimate-partner rape trial, certain psychosocial traits, crime-specific attitudes, and experiences of sexual victimization appear to predispose juror judgments and decision-making even after group-deliberation. This study therefore has important implications for understanding how individual differences among jurors may impact rape trial verdict outcomes and the need for targeted juror reforms.
This research investigates whether police officers can reliably use behavioral cues to determine whether a person is conceal- ing an object. Using a Lens Model framework, we performed a mega-analysis of three experiments. In each study, officers and laypersons judged whether people were concealing an object and reported “articulable behaviors” they used to perform this task. Although participants were able to articulate behaviors that they believed were helpful, results showed that these behaviors were not related to whether the person was actually concealing. Officers and laypersons were equally poor at judging whether someone was concealing or not. Current officer training on the use of nonverbal behaviors to determine who is concealing a dangerous object may be ineffective, and a reconsideration of training is warranted. In light of the findings, requiring officers to provide “articulable behaviors” in Fourth Amendment cases may not provide a sufficient safeguard against unreasonable searches of civilians.
The intersection between psychopaths and professions in law and law enforcement is explored. These careers include, but are not limited to, police officers, corrections officers, lawyers, and judges. Background information is provided, including the history of psychopathy in the law and the prevalence and impact of psychopathic traits within individuals in the criminal justice system. Findings relevant to these topics are discussed, including psychopathic personality in criminals and how to effectively arrest, interrogate, and defend these individuals. Additionally, psychopathic traits in police officers and lawyers are considered. Historical case studies are included to demonstrate real-life examples. Learning how to identify individuals with psychopathic traits, the effects they have within this system, and how to work with them effectively is crucial for those working in forensic careers.
We tried to understand individual differences in two super-categories of cues to vulnerability. In a qualitative, act-nomination study (N = 79), we found several underpowered patterns in that more physical cues of vulnerability were listed than psychological ones, no sex difference were observed for number of psychological vulnerabilities, but men listed more physical vulnerabilities than women, however; these effects are descriptive only. We then surveyed participants (N = 262) on how much a curated list of cues from Study 1 made men and women vulnerable. A composite of the Dark Tetrad traits (i.e., narcissism, psychopathy, sadism, and Machiavellianism) that we called “antagonism” was associated with seeing targets as more vulnerable whereas those who were empathetic perceived targets as less vulnerable. Physical vulnerability was associated with higher ratings of male targets' vulnerability. For psychological vulnerability, antagonism was associated with lowered perceptions of vulnerability of female targets. Women rated others—regardless of their sex—as more vulnerable than men did, but this effect was strongest for physical cues. And last, women rated other women as more vulnerable—regardless of cue type—than other men, but men rated both sexes as equally vulnerable. Our results are discussed within an evolutionary framework.
It is important to understand how uniforms influence public perceptions of the police. The current study utilized a randomized design in which undergraduate students at a Canadian university were exposed to a series of photographs of officers wearing different uniform configurations (i.e., special duty vs. traditional uniform, dark vs. light shirt, dishevelled vs. tidy uniform, and uniform trousers with and without a stripe). Participants rated each officer on numerous scales including: (1) the officer’s personal qualities (e.g., helpfulness), (2) abilities or behaviors that the officer is likely to display (e.g., excessive force), and (3) the behavioral intentions of the participant toward the observed officer (e.g., willing to confide sensitive information to them). When controlling for general perceptions of police legitimacy, results suggest that, compared to the control conditions (i.e., normal operational uniform), introducing the uniform manipulations significantly influenced ratings on items related to community relations, professionalism, and officer safety. The current study speaks to the complicated relationship between the police appearing approachable and professional to the public, while also considering possible officer safety concerns associated with their uniform.
Survivors of psychopathic abusers are a valuable resource for understanding the manifestation of psychopathic traits during romantic relationships. However, their perspectives have been largely under-investigated. Self-identified psychopath survivors (N = 475) were recruited from the community and assessed for domestic abuse experiences and the extent their abuser exhibited psychopathic traits. Linear and multiple regression analysis revealed that abusers' psychopathic traits were predictive of domestic abuse that was frequent, versatile, and physically harmful. Factor 1 traits, particularly those under the affective facet, were predictive of a longer-term abusive relationship and versatile forms of abuse. Whereas traits under Factor 1 and Factor 2 were predictive of abuse frequency, only Factor 2 traits were predictive of the degree of physical injury sustained from the abuse (particularly those under the antisocial facet). Discussion of the findings center on the value of survivors' accounts in identifying psychopathic traits that are most salient in the context of domestic abuse. The findings parallel research that finds the emotional disconnection and predatory nature facilitated by Factor 1 traits underlie abusers' ability to effectively maintain their partner's relational commitment, while perpetrating frequent and versatile forms of abuse uninhibited by emotional lability and moral emotions.
This book brings together a collection of theoretical and empirical work on psychopathy, and related personality traits, particularly as they manifest in a noncriminal context. There has been a growing body of work over the past two decades which examines psychopathy outside of the realm of criminal populations and this book aims to contribute to the debate about what many authors have referred to as the “paradox” of psychopathy, namely that while many psychopathic traits are damaging and harmful, in certain circumstances these same characteristics may convey an advantage and allow the individual to achieve a measure of success. Throughout the book, we will present research in which theories, classification systems and clinical descriptions of psychopathy have highlighted the potential for adaptive traits associated with this personality construct to manifest in positive outcomes, particularly in a business context. We begin in the current chapter with a broad overview of definitions of psychopathy as well as some of the primary theories that explain the psychopathic personality as a whole. In the second half of the chapter, we will examine the evidence for adaptive and positive outcomes associated with the disorder.
In our article (Lilienfeld et al., 2019), we hypothesized that psychopathy and some other personality disorders are emergent interpersonal syndromes (EISs): interpersonally malignant configurations of distinct personality subdimensions. We respond to three commentaries by distinguished scholars who raise provocative challenges to our arguments and intriguing suggestions for future research. We clarify the role of folk concepts in our understanding of psychopathy, offer further suggestions for testing our interactional hypotheses, consider the role of boldness in motivational accounts of psychopathy, and discuss future directions for incorporating developmental considerations and the role of victims in our EIS account. We are optimistic that this account will prove to be of heuristic value, and should encourage researchers and theoreticians to explore alternative models of psychopathy and other personality disorders.
In this article, an approach to interpersonal relationships in contexts of emotional abuse will be proposed, which will be charac terized as "predatory" from a systemic perspective that takes an ecological metaphor as a starting point. In the first place, the so-called "predatory relational pattern" will be delimited, which is deployed in diverse interactional schemes. Then, the distinction between the epistemological modalities that sustain this pattern (arrogant epistemology and complacent epistemology) will be established, showing its differences with an assertive epistemology from which said pattern can be questioned and deconstructed. Likewise, a set of epistemological combinations that can be articulated in a dyadic relation will be exhibited and some examples of the so-called "cognitive, emotional and pragmatic distortions" will be offered, resulting in maps that validate the predatory social ecosystem. Finally, some ideas about the clinical-therapeutic potential that the exercise of epistemological reflection supposes for the interdisciplinary field of mental health will be presented.
A significant body of literature links psychopathy and psychopathic personality traits with criminal behavior and involvement with the criminal justice system. However, very little research has examined whether psychopathic personality traits are related to being a successful criminal (e.g., evading detection). This study addresses this gap in the literature by examining whether psychopathic personality traits are associated with the likelihood of being processed by the criminal justice system (i.e., arrest). Our findings reveal that psychopathic personality traits are generally not associated with criminal success. Specifically, individuals with high levels of psychopathic personality traits commit more crimes and report more arrests, but they do not seem to have an advantage when it comes to avoiding arrest for the crimes they commit. We discuss the implications of these findings for the psychopathy literature.
Early starting, lifetime criminal persistence has been called sociopathy, antisocial personality disorder, and psychopathy. There is, however, disagreement about its core features and which measure is best for identifying such individuals. In the 1st of 2 studies of male offenders (n = 74), we found a large association between scores on the Psychopathy Checklist—Revised (PCL–R; R. D. Hare, 1991) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM–IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) antisocial personality disorder criteria scored as a scale. The second study (n = 684) replicated this finding and found that, as previously shown for PCL–R scores, a discrete class (or taxon) also underlies scores on items reflecting antisocial personality disorder. The high association among these sets of items and their similarity in predicting violence suggested that the same natural class underlies each. Results indicated that life-course-persistent antisociality can be assessed well by measures of psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder.
The clinical and research literatures on psychopathy have identified an emotion paradox: Psychopaths display normal appraisal but impaired use of emotion cues. Using R. D. Hare's (1991) Psychopathy Checklist—Revised and the G. S. Welsh Anxiety Scale (1956), the authors identified low-anxious psychopaths and controls and examined predictions concerning their performance on a lexical-decision task. Results supported all the predictions: (a) low-anxious psychopaths appraised emotion cues as well as controls; (b) their lexical decisions were relatively unaffected by emotion cues; (c) their lexical decisions were relatively unaffected by affectively neutral word-frequency cues; and (d) their performance deficits were specific to conditions involving right-handed responses. The authors propose that deficient response modulation may underlie both the emotional and cognitive deficits associated with low-anxious psychopaths.
In closing the “International Meeting on Biology and Sociology of Violence,” held in Valencia in 1996, Her Majesty Queen Sophia of Spain noted that the future will see major advances in our understanding of—and our ability to deal with—the genetic and biological factors in aggression and violence. Her Majesty The Queen also offered the hope that the considerable information we already have concerning the environmental origins of violence would be put to more immediate use.
It has recently been argued from studies of adults that chronically antisocial offenders constitute a discrete class of individuals. If this is true, it is likely that the class can be identified in childhood. Taxometric analyses were applied to items assessing antisociality in children. These items were similar in content to several established measures of antisocial behavior in children: the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th edition, Conduct Disorder; the Psychopathy Checklist–Youth Version; and the Childhood and Adolescent Taxon Scale. Participants were 1,111 school-age boys from a community sample of students. Taxometric analyses using each of the three measures of antisocial behavior yielded evidence of an underlying taxon. In addition, two other tests of consistency strengthened the conclusion that a taxon underlying serious antisocial behavior can be demonstrated in children.
Incarcerated males who score high on personality measures of psychopathy are reported to be less efficient than other incarcerated males in processing emotionally laden stimuli. In this study, we evaluated whether an emotion deficit is also present in non-incarcerated higher functioning males who score high on psychopathy personality measures. A sample of male university students was screened for psychopathic personality, and two subsamples, those who scored high or low on global psychopathy, participated in a series of language processing tasks designed to assess verbal emotion processing. Unlike previous studies of emotion processing in the verbal domain, stimuli also systematically varied in abstractness. The results showed that participants scoring high in psychopathy were less efficient than those scoring low in psychopathy in processing negatively valenced words, across all levels of word abstractness. The results extend previous accounts of emotional processing deficits in individuals with psychopathic personality to a relatively high-functioning non-incarcerated sample.
The relationship between psychopathic traits and the perception of nonverbal communication, including facial expressions and body language, is investigated. Participants include 59 prison inmates and 60 community members. Psychopathic traits among inmates are measured using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and Levenson's Self Report Psychopathy Scale. Participants categorize the emotion of posed facial photographs and rate intensity of emotion. They view videotaped interactions of a confederate and a target individual and rate assertive- ness using the Rathus Assertiveness Scale. There is a trend for the PCL-R to be positively cor- related with the inmates' accuracy of emotional intensity ratings. Psychopathic traits are also positively associated with the accuracy of assertiveness ratings.
An individual has a theory of mind if he imputes mental states to himself and others. A system of inferences of this kind is properly viewed as a theory because such states are not directly observable, and the system can be used to make predictions about the behavior of others. As to the mental states the chimpanzee may infer, consider those inferred by our own species, for example, purpose or intention, as well as knowledge, belief, thinking, doubt, guessing, pretending, liking, and so forth. To determine whether or not the chimpanzee infers states of this kind, we showed an adult chimpanzee a series of videotaped scenes of a human actor struggling with a variety of problems. Some problems were simple, involving inaccessible food – bananas vertically or horizontally out of reach, behind a box, and so forth – as in the original Kohler problems; others were more complex, involving an actor unable to extricate himself from a locked cage, shivering because of a malfunctioning heater, or unable to play a phonograph because it was unplugged. With each videotape the chimpanzee was given several photographs, one a solution to the problem, such as a stick for the inaccessible bananas, a key for the locked up actor, a lit wick for the malfunctioning heater. The chimpanzee's consistent choice of the correct photographs can be understood by assuming that the animal recognized the videotape as representing a problem, understood the actor's purpose, and chose alternatives compatible with that purpose.
Point-light and full-view short video clips of female walkers were displayed on a CRT monitor and male students rated the likelihood of selecting a walker for various advances. Relationships between the ratings, the walkers’ self-reported frequencies of being approached, gait cues, and self-rated personality traits were examined. In the point-light condition, raters selected slow walkers with a short stride length and personality traits implying vulnerability as targets for inappropriate touching. In the full-view condition, the raters selected fashionably groomed or physically attractive walkers as sexual advance targets. These criteria corresponded partially with reported occurrences of advances. Awkward movement impression was suggested as a kinematic gait quality influencing sexual advance target choice.
The processing of emotional expressions is fundamental for normal socialisation and interaction. Reduced responsiveness to the expressions of sadness and fear has been implicated in the development of psychopathy (R. J. R. Blair, 1995). The current study investigates the sensitivity of children with psychopathic tendencies to facial expressions. Children with psychopathic tendencies and a comparison group, as defined by the Psychopathy Screening Device (PSD; P. J. Frick & R. D. Hare, in press), were presented with a cinematic display of a standardised set of facial expressions that depicted sadness, happiness, anger, disgust, fear, and surprise. Participants observed as these facial expressions slowly evolved through 20 successive frames of increasing intensity. The children with psychopathic tendencies presented with selective impairments; they needed significantly more stages before they could successfully recognise the sad expressions and even when the fearful expressions were at full intensity were significantly more likely to mistake them for another expression. These results are interpreted with reference to an amygdala and empathy impairment explanation of psychopathy.
Although a common assumption throughout much of the professional and popular literature is that psychopaths are qualitatively different from others, very few studies have examined the latent structure of psychopathy. Whether psychopathy is a discrete category or a continuous dimension may have implications for research on the assessment, etiology, and treatment of this disorder. This study examined the latent structure of psychopathy in a sample of 309 jail and prison inmates. Three taxometric procedures were used to analyze indicators drawn from the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (S. O. Lilienfeld & B. P. Andrews, 1996), a self-report instrument. Consistent with prior studies that used other measures of psychopathy, none of the analyses was consistent with a taxonic solution, suggesting that psychopathic personality may be best understood as existing on a continuum.
Drawing on the ecological theory of social perception, we investigated the impact of age-related gait qualities on trait impressions. In Study 1, subjects observed 5- to 70-year-old walkers depicted in point-light displays, and rated the walkers' traits, gaits, and ages. Younger walkers were perceived as more powerful and happier than older walkers. A composite of youthful gait qualities predicted trait impressions regardless of the walkers' masculine gait qualities, sex, and perceived age. In Study 2, subjects observed young adult walkers depicted in point-light displays and rated their traits, gaits, and ages. Consistent with the effects of real age found in Study 1, young adults with youthful gaits were perceived as more powerful and happier than peers with older gaits, irrespective of their masculine gait qualities, sex, and perceived age. Study 3 replicated Study 2 using displays showing walkers' full bodies and faces. A youthful gait predicted trait impressions even when subjects could discern the walkers' age and sex.
We tested the hypothesis that the response mobilization that normally accompanies imagery of emotional situations is deficient in psychopaths. Cardiac, electrodermal, and facial muscle responses of 54 prisoners, assigned to low- and high-psychopathy groups using R. D. Hare's (1991) Psychopathy Checklist--Revised, were recorded while subjects imagined fearful and neutral scenes in a cued sentence-processing task. Groups did not differ on self-ratings of fearfulness, imagery ability, or imagery experience. Low-psychopathy subjects showed larger physiological reactions during fearful imagery than high-psychopathy subjects. Extreme scores on the antisocial behavior factor of psychopathy predicted imagery response deficits. Results are consistent with the idea that semantic and emotional processes are dissociated in psychopaths.
Taxometric analyses were applied to the construct of psychopathy (as measured by the Psychopathy Checklist) and to several variables reflecting antisocial childhood, adult criminality, and criminal recidivism. Subjects were 653 serious offenders assessed or treated in a maximum-security institution. Results supported the existence of a taxon underlying psychopathy. Childhood problem behaviors provided convergent evidence for the existence of the taxon. Adult criminal history variables were continuously distributed and were insufficient in themselves to detect the taxon.
Startle-elicited blinks were measured during presentation of affective slides to test hypotheses concerning emotional responding in psychopaths. Subjects were 54 incarcerated sexual offenders divided into nonpsychopathic, psychopathic, and mixed groups based on file and interview data. Consistent with findings for normal college students, nonpsychopaths and mixed subjects showed a significant linear relationship between slide valence and startle magnitude, with startle responses largest during unpleasant slides and smallest during pleasant slides. This effect was absent in psychopaths. Group differences in startle modulation were related to affective features of psychopathy, but not to antisocial behavior per se. Psychopathy had no effect on autonomic or self-report responses to slides. These results suggest an abnormality in the processing of emotional stimuli by psychopaths that manifests itself independently of affective report.
This study tested the hypothesis that when processing negative emotional material, psychopaths, compared with nonpsychopaths, would rely less on connotative-emotional processes based in the right hemisphere and more on denotative-linguistic processes based in the left hemisphere. Psychopathic and nonpsychopathic inmate groups, defined by their scores on the Psychopathy Checklist--Revised (R. D. Hare 1985), completed 2 analogous tachistoscopic tasks (words and faces). Accuracy and reaction times of inmates' responses in identifying which of 2 bilaterally presented stimuli (1 neutral and 1 emotional) was the emotional stimulus were measured. Significant lateral processing differences between the 2 groups emerged on the word task but not on the face task, providing partial support for the experimental hypothesis. Psychopaths also showed lower generalized emotional responsivity than nonpsychopaths on the Affect Intensity Measure.
Psychopathy is a complex personality disorder of unknown etiology. Central to the disorder are anomalies or difficulties in affective processing.
Functional magnetic resonance imaging was used to elucidate the neurobiological correlates of these anomalies in criminal psychopaths during performance of an affective memory task.
Compared with criminal nonpsychopaths and noncriminal control participants, criminal psychopaths showed significantly less affect-related activity in the amygdala/hippocampal formation, parahippocampal gyrus, ventral striatum, and in the anterior and posterior cingulate gyri. Psychopathic criminals also showed evidence of overactivation in the bilateral fronto-temporal cortex for processing affective stimuli.
These data suggest that the affective abnormalities so often observed in psychopathic offenders may be linked to deficient or weakened input from limbic structures.
Early starting, lifetime criminal persistence has been called sociopathy, antisocial personality disorder, and psychopathy. There is, however, disagreement about its core features and which measure is best for identifying such individuals. In the 1st of 2 studies of male offenders (n = 74), we found a large association between scores on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; R. D. Hare, 1991) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed. [DSM-IV]; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) antisocial personality disorder criteria scored as a scale. The second study (n = 684) replicated this finding and found that, as previously shown for PCL-R scores, a discrete class (or taxon) also underlies scores on items reflecting antisocial personality disorder. The high association among these sets of items and their similarity in predicting violence suggested that the same natural class underlies each. Results indicated that life-course-persistent antisociality can be assessed well by measures of psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder.
Prior studies provide consistent evidence of deficits for psychopaths in processing verbal emotional material but are inconsistent regarding nonverbal emotional material. To examine whether psychopaths exhibit general versus specific deficits in nonverbal emotional processing, 34 psychopaths and 33 nonpsychopaths identified with Hare's (R. D. Hare, 1991) Psychopathy Checklist--Revised were asked to complete a facial affect recognition test. Slides of prototypic facial expressions were presented. Three hypotheses regarding hemispheric lateralization anomalies in psychopaths were also tested (right-hemisphere dysfunction, reduced lateralization, and reversed lateralization). Psychopaths were less accurate than nonpsychopaths at classifying facial affect under conditions promoting reliance on right-hemisphere resources and displayed a specific deficit in classifying disgust. These findings demonstrate that psychopaths exhibit specific deficits in nonverbal emotional processing.
The clinical and research literatures on psychopathy have identified an emotion paradox: Psychopaths display normal appraisal but impaired use of emotion cues. Using R. D. Hare's (1991) Psychopathy Checklist-Revised and the G. S. Welsh Anxiety Scale (1956), the authors identified low-anxious psychopaths and controls and examined predictions concerning their performance on a lexical-decision task. Results supported all the predictions: (a) low-anxious psychopaths appraised emotion cues as well as controls; (b) their lexical decisions were relatively unaffected by emotion cues; (c) their lexical decisions were relatively unaffected by affectively neutral word-frequency cues; and (d) their performance deficits were specific to conditions involving right-handed responses. The authors propose that deficient response modulation may underlie both the emotional and cognitive deficits associated with low-anxious psychopaths.
As compared with 15 normal controls, " 'primary' sociopaths showed significantly less 'anxiety' on a questionnaire device, less GSR reactivity to a 'conditioned' stimulus associated with shock, and less avoidance of punished responses on a test of avoidance learning. The 'neurotic' sociopaths scored significantly higher on the Taylor Anxiety Scale and on the Welsh Anxiety Index." Cleckley's descriptive criteria were used. 24 references. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).
Psychopathic military service offenders do not show a greater increase in verbal conditioning, where the reinforcing stimulus is the word "good," than unreinforced controls. Neurotic offenders show a greater increase than controls.
The vertical dimension of interpersonal relations (relating to dominance, power, and status) was examined in association with nonverbal behaviors that included facial behavior, gaze, interpersonal distance, body movement, touch, vocal behaviors, posed encoding skill, and others. Results were separately summarized for people's beliefs (perceptions) about the relation of verticality to nonverbal behavior and for actual relations between verticality and nonverbal behavior. Beliefs/perceptions were stronger and much more prevalent than were actual verticality effects. Perceived and actual relations were positively correlated across behaviors. Heterogeneity was great, suggesting that verticality is not a psychologically uniform construct in regard to nonverbal behavior. Finally, comparison of the verticality effects to those that have been documented for gender in relation to nonverbal behavior revealed only a limited degree of parallelism.
This is a brief report on the first stage of a longitudinal study of criminal psychopathy. The data to be presented are the criminal records of several hundred predominantly white, male criminals who took part in at least one of our psychophysiological studies from 1964 to 1974. The records were obtained from the RCMP Fingerprint Service (FPS) files, which contained a listing of charges, convictions, and dispositions from the time of first appearance in adult court until December 31, 1975. A later report will describe the criminal histories of around 500 male criminals from their first appearance in adult court until 1982.
Sociopaths are “outstanding” members of society in two senses: politically, they draw our attention because of the inordinate amount of crime they commit, and psychologically, they hold our fascination because most ofus cannot fathom the cold, detached way they repeatedly harm and manipulate others. Proximate explanations from behavior genetics, child development, personality theory, learning theory, and social psychology describe a complex interaction of genetic and physiological risk factors with demographic and micro environmental variables that predispose a portion of the population to chronic antisocial behavior. More recent, evolutionary and game theoretic models have tried to present an ultimate explanation of sociopathy as the expression of a frequency-dependent life strategy which is selected, in dynamic equilibrium, in response to certain varying environmental circumstances. This paper tries to integrate the proximate, developmental models with the ultimate, evolutionary ones, suggesting that two developmentally different etiologies of sociopathy emerge from two different evolutionary mechanisms. Social strategies for minimizing the incidence of sociopathic behavior in modern society should consider the two different etiologies and the factors that contribute to them.
"Passions Within Reason" re-evaluates the traditional models of human behavior in light of "a simple paradox," as Frank states, "namely, that in many situations the conscious pursuit of self-interest is incompatible with its attainment."
The self interest theory inspires self-interest; we expect the worst of others and act accordingly. But Frank shows, with many eloquent examples taken from a whole range of human behavior, that pure self interest leads to disaster, for oneself and society.
In "Passions Within Reason" Frank incorporates new developments from biology, psychology, and game and bargaining theory into a micro-economic theory that transcends the traditional "rational choice" model. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
This is a book different from the usual criminology texts, dozens of which are published every year. . . . Instead of asking why some people commit crime whereas others do not, the main purpose here is to find out why some individuals, households, or businesses become victims while others do not; why some are more frequently victimized than others; and why it is that some are even repeatedly victimized.
The victimological approach to the study of crime is posited upon a basic premise, and it is this premise that guides the present book. Victimization behavior, it is argued, is dynamic behavior, and cannot therefore be explained by the static theories that have dominated the discipline of criminology for over a century.
The book is divided into three parts. Part 1 is devoted to conceptual and measurement issues and problems, and it also examines the extent, trends, and patterns of criminal victimization. Part 2 deals with victims and victimizers, their reciprocal attitudes, their sociodemographic characteristics, their relationships, and their interactions. Part 3 is a review of micro and macro explanations of criminal victimization. It moves from a discussion of how offenders select their victims to the role victim characteristics and behavior play in victimization, and it ends with a critical review of the models proposed in the past fifteen years to explain the different risks of victimization. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Three experiments investigated whether women can change their walking style and hence reduce their vulnerability to physical attack. In Experiment 1, women were videotaped walking normally and when imagining themselves in a situation of low personal safety. Women were rated as harder to attack in the low safety condition. Differences in walking style accounted for differences in ease-of-attack ratings. Experiment 2 compared walking styles and vulnerability of women before and after completing a self-defense course. No differences were seen across sessions. Experiment 3 investigated walking styles and vulnerability of women before and after completing individualized walking training programs. Differences in vulnerability between sessions were revealed and could be accounted for by changes in walking-style features.
Female Japanese students answered questionnaires about personality (Sociosexual Orientation Inventory and the Big Five) and the frequency of having been targeted for unexpected advances by strangers. Women who reported having been frequently targeted for being “picked up” with sexual intentions had unrestricted sociosexuality (r = .38, p < .0001; n = 145) and had personalities that suggested unrestricted sociosexuality (extraversion and openness). The frequency of being targeted for inappropriate touching was not associated consistently with personality traits. Women who reported having been frequently targeted for nonsexual advances were likely to rate themselves high in agreeableness. The ecological significance of the ability to choose a stranger with whom to interact, based on person perceptions through brief observation, is discussed.
Emotional-processing deficits may be one of the characteristic features of impaired affect in individuals with psychopathy. These include shallowness and profound lack of remorse or empathy. Performances on standardized emotion discrimination tasks and mood induction tasks were compared between 17 patients with antisocial personality disorder (DSM-IV) and 17 nonpsychopaths. Subjects with psychopathic personality demonstrated poorer performance on emotion-discrimination tasks compared with controls. However, higher scores on factor “emotional detachment” of the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R) were associated with better discrimination ability. Subjective ratings were comparable between groups during mood induction. Although the findings support the hypothesis of a significant association between impaired emotional processing and psychopathy, they also suggest a relationship between emotional discrimination and the core personality features of psychopathy. Aggr. Behav. 28:394–400, 2002. © 2002 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
The present study experimentally examined the effects of body language on judgments of vulnerability to sexual assault by strangers. Four features of body language (stride length, weight shift, body-limb movement, and foot movement) were manipulated to create 2 typical victim profiles and 1 typical nonvictim profile. Short videotapes of 3 adult female models walking alone in each of the 3 body language profiles were filmed. Forty-one college students and 33 police officers individually viewed 3 videotapes (each showing a different model and a different body language profile) and made judgments for each about the woman's confidence level and vulnerability to sexual assault. As predicted, women in the 2 victim profiles were judged to be significantly more vulnerable to sexual assault and significantly less confident than women in the nonvictim profile. Implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
This research uses data from the Area-Identified National Crime Victimization Survey to examine the influence of neighborhood socioeconomic disadvantage on the likelihood of police notification by victims of violence. The results indicate that neighborhood disadvantage does not significantly affect the likelihood of police notification among robbery and aggravated assault victims. However, a significant curvilinear effect of neighborhood disadvantage is observed for simple assault victims. The implications of these results for community-level crime research and for theoretical perspectives on police notification are discussed.
A rational choice theory approach was used to analyze the offense behavior of serial sex offenders. Qualitative data were
obtained through the descriptions of the crimes provided by 69 serial sex offenders who were incarcerated in a Correctional
Service of Canada institution. Based on the offenders’ accounts, a descriptive model specific to the hunting process was identified.
This model contained the following nine phases: offender and victim routine activities, choice of hunting ground, victim selection,
method of approach, attack location choice, method to bring the victim to the crime site, crime location choice, method to
commit the crime, and the victim release location choice. The model is discussed according to existing research on serial
sex offenders and environmental criminology. Implications for clinical practice, crime prevention, offender profiling, and
future studies are discussed.
Three experiments used a point-light methodology to investigate whether movement style specifies vulnerability to physical attack. Both female (Experiment 1) and male (Experiment 2) walkers could be differentiated according to ease-of-attack based solely on the kinematic information provided whilst walking. Specific walking style features predicted ease-of-attack and profiles of prototypically easy to attack and difficult to attack walkers were identified. Variations in walking style as a function of clothing and footwear style were also shown to predict differences in ease-of-attack ratings (Experiment 3). Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are considered.
This study investigates the ability of psychopathic individuals to process facial emotional expressions. Psychopathic and comparison individuals, as defined by the Hare Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R), were presented with a standardized set of facial expressions depicting six emotions: happy, surprised, disgusted, angry, sad and fearful. Participants observed as these facial expressions slowly evolved through 20 successive frames of increasing intensity. The dependent variables were latency in responding as measured by frame and number of errors. The psychopathic individuals showed selective impairment for the recognition of fearful expressions. The results are interpreted with reference to the Violence Inhibition Mechanism model of psychopathy and the suggestion that psychopathic individuals present with amygdala dysfunction.
This study investigates the psychophysiological responsiveness of children with emotional and behavioral difficulties, divided according to their Psychopathy Screening Device (PSD) scores (Frick and Hare, in press) to distress cues, threatening and neutral stimuli. From this population, 16 high PSD scoring children and 16 low scoring controls were shown slides of these three types of stimuli and their electrodermal responses were recorded. An additional 16 normal developing children in mainstream education were also presented with these stimuli. The high PSD scoring children showed, relative to the controls, reduced electrodermal responses to the distress cues and threatening stimuli. In contrast, the two groups did not differ in their electrodermal responses to the neutral stimuli. The results are interpreted within the Violence Inhibition Mechanism model (Blair, 1995) of Psychopathy.
The accuracy of perception of emotional faces was studied in individuals scoring low and high on psychopathic personality characteristics. Since psychopathy is characterised by a lack of fear, impaired recognition of fearful facial expression was expected in individuals with high psychopathic personality characteristics. 525 Healthy students completed the Behavioural Inhibition Scale and the Behavioural Activation Scale (BIS/BAS). 16 Subjects scoring high on psychopathic personality characteristics (weak BIS/strong BAS) and 16 subjects scoring low on psychopathic personality characteristics (strong BIS/weak BAS) were selected. A morphing task was used to measure the accuracy of facial emotional perception. As hypothesised, the group scoring high on psychopathic personality characteristics was less accurate in the recognition of fearful faces compared to the group scoring low on psychopathic personality characteristics. These findings suggest that low fear responsivity commonly observed in psychopathy is associated with a fear recognition deficit.
The authors examined the association between psychopathy and identification of facial expressions of emotion. Previous research in this area is scant and has produced contradictory findings (Blair et. al., 2001, 2004; Glass & Newman, 2006; Kosson et al., 2002). One hundred and forty-five male jail inmates, rated using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version participated in a facial affect recognition task. Participants were shown faces containing one of five emotions (happiness, sadness, fear, anger, or shame) displayed at one of two different levels of intensity of expression (100% or 60%). The authors predicted that psychopathy would be associated with decreased affect recognition, particularly for sad and fearful emotional expressions, and decreased recognition of less intense displays of facial affect. Results were largely consistent with expectations in that psychopathy was negatively correlated with overall facial recognition of affect, sad facial affect, and recognition of less intense displays of affect. An unexpected negative correlation with recognition of happy facial affect was also found. These results suggest that psychopathy may be associated with a general deficit in affect recognition.
Some researchers have suggested that a precondition of affective submissiveness may increase the likelihood of female victimization in sexual assault, whereas others have suggested that criminal offenders use perceptions of vulnerability when selecting a victim. In this study, based on American college students, men (decoders) rated videotaped women (encoders) dominant versus submissive using a semantic differential instrument. Cue evaluators analyzed the body language and appearance of the videotaped women using a Likert instrument. The results suggest that (a) men form differentiated perceptions of dominant versus submissive women, (b) such perceptions substantially rely on nonverbal cues, (c) dominant and submissive women display visually different behaviors and appearances, and (d) men tend to select submissive females for exploitation.
We tested the hypothesis that psychopathy is associated with abnormal processing of affective verbal material. Criminal psychopaths and nonpsychopaths, defined by the Psychopathy Checklist, performed a lexical decision task ("Is it a word or not?") while we recorded reaction time and event-related potentials in response to letter-strings consisting of affective and neutral words and pronounceable nonwords. On the assumption that they do not make efficient use of affective information, our primary prediction was that psychopaths would show less behavioral and event-related potential differentiation between affective and neutral words than would nonpsychopaths. The results were in accordance with this prediction. The lexical decisions of nonpsychopaths were significantly faster, and relevant event-related potential components were significantly larger, to affective words than to neutral words. In sharp contrast, psychopaths failed to show reaction time facilitation or larger amplitude event-related potentials to affective words. We suggest that psychopaths extract less information from affective words than do other individuals. Possible implications of these and related findings for understanding the behavior of psychopaths are discussed.
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 Psychopathy 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.
Previous research suggests that 3 general processes underlie the decision of property crime victims to notify the police: One that is cognitively driven by reward/cost considerations, one that is affectively driven, and another that is socially driven. This study is the first to employ a community sample of crime victims to compare the 3 processes within a single study. Computer-assisted interviews were conducted with 422 property crime victims (n = 129 burglary, n = 293 theft) located via a random digit dialing procedure. Logistic regression analyses showed that each process independently accounted for a significant amount of the variance in victim reporting, and that there were no interactions among the three processes in predicting reporting. Of the 3 processes, social influence was the best predictor of reporting. Analysis of the affect-driven process showed that reporting was primarily a function of the level of fear rather than anger or the level of generalized arousal upon discovering the crime.
There have been suggestions that Theory of Mind (ToM) impairment might lead to aggressive behaviour and psychopathy. Psychopathic and matched non-psychopathic individuals, as defined by the Hare Psychopathy Checklist [The Hare Psychopath Checklist-Revised, 1991] completed the 'Reading the Mind in the Eyes' ToM Test [Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry, 1997;38:813]. This test requires the self-paced identification of mental states from photographs of the eye region alone. Results indicated that the psychopathic individuals did not present with any generalised impairment in ToM. The data are discussed with reference to the putative neural system mediating performance on this task and models of psychopathy.
Using taxometric procedures, the latent structure of psychopathy was investigated in two studies of children and adolescents. Prior studies have identified a taxon (i.e., a natural category) associated with antisocial behavior in adults as well as children and adolescents. However, features of this taxon suggest that it is not psychopathy but rather a broader class consistent with the construct of life course persistent antisocial behavior. Because the only prior study of youth used a non-clinical sample, the base rate of psychopathy may have been too low to reveal a psychopathy taxon, especially against the background of a broader and more prevalent antisocial behavior taxon. Therefore, this investigation sought to increase the likelihood of finding a psychopathy taxon (should one exist) by increasing its expected base rate through inclusion of clinical cases in the samples studied. Results produced evidence for both a broad antisocial behavior problem taxon consistent with past research and a much lower base rate taxon consistent with prevalence expectations for psychopathy. These findings support the existence of latent taxa for both psychopathy and a broader class of antisocial behavior problems. Further taxometric research appears to be warranted, which should use a broader array of indicators, with greater specificity to psychopathy.