Final exam - Psychopathy

Question 1

Importance

Answer 1

• Psychopaths perform > 50% of violent crime
• Psychopaths recidivate 3-4x more than nonpsychopaths following release from prison
• Successful psychopaths use the system and people to get what they want
• They affect other’s treatment as they take over sessions and after treatment can be more destructive

Question 2

Hare Psychopathy Checklist - Revised (PCL-R)

Answer 2

Uses :
- assessing and diagnosing psychopathy for research and clinical purposes
- parole board hearings and dangerous offender verdicts
- best predictive tool for recidivism and risk assessments
The checklist :
- 20 characteristics
- semi-structured interview and collateral information (how many elementary schools did you go to, 1 = move on, 5 = maybe ask why switched so often)
- childhood, relationships, work experience, family history, criminal history, general view of life and people

Question 3

PCL-R Items

Answer 3

Factor 1 - Affective/Interpersonal
1. Glib & superficial charm
2. Grandiose sense of self worth
4. Pathological lying
5. Conning & manipulative
6. Lack of remorse or guilt
7. Shallow affect
8. Callous & lack of empathy
16. Failure to accept responsibility
Factor 2 - Antisocial
3. Need for stimulation
9. Parasitic Lifestyle
10. Poor behavioural controls
12. Early behaviour problems
13. Lack of realistic, long term goals
14. Impulsivity
15. Irresponsibility
18. Juvenile deliquency
19. Revocation of conditional release
Items not loading on either Factor
11. Promiscuous sexual behaviour
17. Many short-term marital relationships
20. Criminal versatility
** Score 0 (doesn’t apply),1 (applies in some areas of life), 2 (applies in many areas of life) for total of 40 possible points

Question 4

Psychopathy - Disinhibition

Answer 4

• Limbic system isn’t really contributing to decision making for behaviours
• Link between amygdala and OFC (orbitofrontal cortex) is simplistic, doesn’t allow for any kind of emotional contribution to behaviour (could be a possible explanation of psychopathy)
• Until recently, no structural differences, difficult population to study, Factor 1 characteristics are very tricky

Question 5

Conclusions about Psychopathy

Answer 5

• Inefficient neural communication & integration between dorsolateral PFC, OFC & limbic structures may explain deficits in executive functioning in psychopaths
• This impact may not be observed during standard IQ or neuropsychological tests because psychopaths have adapted to use alternate neural systems that play a compensatory role
• However, when put into real life situations, results suggest neurobiological basis for psychopaths’ faulty emotional & inhibitory processes that makes conscience weak, enabling psychopaths to engage in predatory, violent acts without regret