Hancock Flashcards
What is the key theme
Measuring differences
What is the background
Previous research showing that analysis of words reveals people’s inner thoughts and psychological states
And psychopaths are skilled at conversation but their language is less cohesive than non psychopaths
What are 2 aims of the study
To analyse to language used by psychopaths when describing their violent crimes compared to non psychopaths who also committed murder
What was the method and design
Quasi experiment
Independent measures
What was the IV
Psychopath or non psychopath
What was the DV
Measures of language from text analysis
What was the sample (3)
52 murderers
14 psychopath, 38 non psychopaths
Canadian correctional facilities
All men
What are 2 materials
The PCL-R to measure affective/ interpersonal traits - score above 25 indicated psychopath
The W matrix to analyse words
What was the procedure
Participants told the purpose of the study was to assess the way that the murdered recall the murder they committed
The participants were tested for psychopathy using PCL-R
Participants interviewed by 2 senior psychology graduate students and one research assistant
Semi structured interviews used where participants recalled murder in as much detail as possible
It lasted 25 minutes and they were audio taped and put into written form
The W matrix was used to classify the texts and they were also analysed using the DAL (dictionary of affect in language)
What were 3 things the texts were classified to using the Wmatrix
Parts of speech (nouns verbs etc)
Semantics categories ie money
Major discourse fields ie social actions
What are 3 results from the study
Psychopaths used twice as many basics needs word like food and non psychos used higher social needs word like family
Psychopaths used more past tense verbs and fewer present tense
Psychopaths language was less fluent (more urms and erms)
What are 2 conclusions
There is a significant difference in the language of psychopaths and non psychopaths
Psychopaths operate in primitive but rational manners
Evaluate research methods
Semi structured interview - build rapport but gain information you need, they had more leeway to reveal all they were thinking
Interview only involved them talking about their murder - could have had more different or less different language in a different context - lowers validity
Evaluate validity
High internal validity - tested language
Low external - can’t really generalise this to women, non murdeorus psychopaths, etc
What was the sampling method
Self selected
