Psychopathy

Question 1

What are public conceptions of psychopathy?

Answer 1

Violent
Psychotic (including hallucinations)
Remorseless
Born like it - Not made by society
Can't be treated

Question 2

Who was Ted Bundy?

Answer 2

In 1974:
Murdered 30 women - abducted them with lies and charm.
Necrophile
Decapitated 12 of his victims
Executed in 1989
Is what people believe psychopathy is.

Question 3

How does the DSM-5 list Psychopathy?

Answer 3

Anti-social personality disorder

Question 4

What is the prevalence of anti-social personality disorder?

Answer 4

0.2-3.3% in the general population

Question 5

What is the criteria for anti-social personality disorder in the DSM-5?

Answer 5

Disregard/Violation of rights of others since 15yrs old
Individual is over 18yrs old
Evidence of onset from 15yrs old
anti-social behaviour not exclusively during course of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder

Question 6

How do we measure anti-social personality disorder?

Answer 6

Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R)

Question 7

What is the PCL-R?

Answer 7

20 statements
PPS define how much these statements apply to them on a scale of 0-2
Score of 30+ results in a diagnosis

Question 8

What two factors does the PCL-R measure?

Answer 8

Interpersonal effective domain (Callous and Manipulative)
Antisocial domain (Disinhibition and Antisocial Behaviour)

Question 9

How would you measure if Psychopathy is born or made?

Answer 9

Twin Studies

Question 10

What’s the difference between Monozygotic twins (MZ) and Dizygotic twins (DZ)?

Answer 10

MZ - 100% genetic similarity

DZ - 50% genetic similarity

Question 11

If MZ concordance was more than DZ concordance, what would this show?

Answer 11

Genetic Link

Question 12

If DZ concordance was more than half that of MZ concordance, what would this show?

Answer 12

Shared environment link

Question 13

If MZ concordance was less than 100%, what does this show?

Answer 13

Non-shared environment link

Question 14

What did Taylor et al (2000) find?

Answer 14

Some genetic link with criminal activity

Particularly in early starters

Question 15

What is a disadvantage of Taylor et al (2000) study?

Answer 15

Focuses on delinquent antisocial behaviour

Question 16

What did Blonigen et al (2003) do and find?

Answer 16

Twin study (353 adolescent male pairs)
Measured psychopathy traits, not antisocial behaviour
Found 54% variance explained by non-shred environment
46% genetics and shared environment
Suggests NOT born with psychopathy traits

Question 17

What is the Amygdala associated with in the brain?

Answer 17

Emotion/fear response

Question 18

What did Harenski (2010) find?

Answer 18

PPS show lower amygdala activity when viewing pictures of moral violations

Question 19

What is the Orbitofrontal cortex associated with?

Answer 19

Executive control

Including decision making and inhibition

Question 20

What did Raine (2000) find?

Answer 20

11% less prefrontal brain volume in antisocial personality disorder groups

Question 21

Why are treatments for anti-social personality disorder often unsuccessful?

Answer 21

PPS may have no desire to change (Kantor 2006)

Question 22

What does the Mental Health Act 1983/2007 state regarding sentencing psychopaths?

Answer 22

They can be held indefinitely

Question 23

What did Babiak (2010)do/find?

Answer 23

203 corporate professionals
Completed PCL-R
5.9% has possible psychopathy score (over 30)
Associated with
-Good communication
-Strategic thinking
-Creative thoughts

Question 24

What did Buchels et al (2014) do/find?

Answer 24

1215 internet users
Questionnaire on personality traits and online behaviour
Link between ‘trolling’ and psychopathic traits

Question 25

What are the main points regarding Psychopathy that would be used in an essay?

Answer 25

Preconceptions - Ted Bundy
Defining Psychopathy - DSM
How it is measured
Born or made?
Brain dysfunction
Determinism and Sentencing
Corporate Psychopaths
Online Psychopaths