Murder and Psychopathy

Question 1

Psychppathy

Answer 1

there is much disagreement about its causes characteristics, defenition and development

Question 2

What are the different diagnostic tools used to diagnose psychopathy

Answer 2

DSM, Hare Psychopathy Checklist-revised (PCL-R)

Question 3

Psychopathy defenition

Answer 3

mental disorder involcing anti social behaviour and includes low empathy and remorse & impulsive and egotistical charateristics

Question 4

What is Factor 1 of the Hare PCL-R focused on?

Answer 4

Interpersonal/affective traits associated with psychopathy

Question 5

3 interpersonal/affective traits from factor 1 of the PCL-R

Answer 5

Criminal versatility, lack of remorse/guilt, promiscuous sexual behaviour

Question 6

What is factor 2 of the PCL-R focused on ?

Answer 6

social deviance

Question 7

3 social deviance traits from factor 2 of the PCL-R

Answer 7

need for stimulation/proneness to boredom, poor behaviroal control, juvenile delinquency

Question 8

Whats the difference between psychopathy and sociopathy?

Answer 8

Psychopathy: biologically based, innate. Claims that there is no capacity to feel remorse, guilt, empathy in psychopaths

sociopathy: results in environmental factors .e.g., poverty, neglect, and exposure to extreme violence. Lack empathy, guilt and remorse for people in general but may feel attached to some individuals

Question 9

What are 3 predictor factors

Answer 9

1. low resting heart rate
2. frontal deficits in the brain
3. Early health factors (birth complications, physical anomalies, malnutrition)

Question 10

Low heart rate

Answer 10

well - replicated predictor of future violent/anti social behaviour in youth. low resting heart rate than control

Question 11

True/false: children of criminal parents tend to have low resting heart rates

Answer 11

TRUE - it is heritable

Question 12

TRUE/FALSE: low heart rate predict future anti social and violent behaviour in men and women

Answer 12

TRUE

Question 13

How do environmental factors interact with low heart rate in predicting violence?

Answer 13

Boys with low heart rates are more likely to become violent offenders if they also have a poor relationship with parents or come from a large family (Farrington, 1997).

Question 14

What is the role of the prefrontal cortex in the brain?

Answer 14

It’s responsible for higher-level functions like social behaviour, impulse control, and self-regulation.

Question 15

What have brain imaging studies found in violent and psychopathic individuals?

Answer 15

They show functional deficits in the anterior (frontal) regions of the brain.

Question 16

Which researchers have linked frontal lobe deficits to violent offending?

Answer 16

Raine (1993), Raine & Buchsbaum (1996), and Henry & Moffitt (1997)

Question 17

What did Bechara et al. (1997) find about decision-making in risky situations?

Answer 17

People with frontal deficits are less able to reason and make appropriate choices, which may be linked to impulsivity.

Question 18

What does poor fear conditioning in antisocial groups suggest? (Raine, 1993)

Answer 18

They are less responsive to punishment, which may hinder socialization and moral learning.

Question 19

Why might individuals with poor fear conditioning seek aggression or risk?

Answer 19

may seek arousal and stimulation, which is provided by aggressive and risky situations.

Question 20

What do early health problems lead to?

Answer 20

damage/underdevelopment of pre frontal coretex

Question 21

What does damage and underdevelopment lead to

Answer 21

anti social/aggressive behaviours aswell as general impulsivity and risk-taking problems

Question 22

Desensitization to violence

Answer 22

a decrease in the psychological and physiological reaction to witnessing and engaging in aggression and violence

Question 23

What does exposure to violence do ?

Answer 23

desensitizes individuals. When this is paired with practising aggression, the individual becomes capable of more extreme acts over time

Question 24

Why might sociopaths and psychopaths become criminally violent?

Answer 24

lower inhibitory capacity and prolonged exposure to aggression

Question 25

when does displaced aggression occur (Dollard, Miller, Mowrer & Sears, 1939)

Answer 25

Can occur at the interpersonal and intergroup levels

Question 26

Displaced aggression

Answer 26

aggressive action directed (displaced) towards a person/object that is NOT the original source of the provocation or negative affect

Question 27

Triggered displaced aggression (Pedersen, Gonzalez , 200)

Answer 27

disproportionate levels of aggression directed at an individual who provides a minor provocation as a function of a prior provocation.

Question 28

What are 3 situations that preclude retaliation that set the context for displaying aggression

Answer 28

provoking situation: immaterial source (i.e.bad economy) provocation leaves before retaliation (i.e. vandals damage your car and leave before caught) provocateur has power over you( i.e. boss thinks ur dumb)

Question 29

How does prolonged exposure to aggression affect behaviour? (Vasquez et al., 2005)

Answer 29

distorts perceptions and amplifies reactions, increasing the risk of overreacting or "venting" in response to minor annoyances.

Question 30

Why do people with non-normative behaviours tend to displace aggression?

Answer 30

Their behaviours cause conflicts and aversive events that prime aggressive responses.

Question 31

How do social environments influence aggression in this population?

Answer 31

Negative environments increase overall negative emotions, which prime aggression.

Question 32

What two factors increase displaced aggression in these individuals?

Answer 32

1) Conflict from non-normative behaviour 2) Negative affect from maladaptive social environments

Question 33

Rumination

Answer 33

self-focused attention towards one's thoughts and feelings and their causes (Lyubomirsky &Nolen-Hoeksema, 1995)

Question 34

What can ruminatin also be defined as?

Answer 34

provocation-focused thought

Question 35

TRUE/FALSE: Rumination can maintain negative feelings and thoughts about provoking events, keeping people ready to respond aggressively. (Bushman et al., 2005)

Answer 35

TRUE

Question 36

What are gang members expected to do more than non gang members

Answer 36

ruminate (focus on their thoughts/feelings) more because people who percieve anger as useful may be more likely to ruminate

Question 37

What is gang affiliation associated with?

Answer 37

Rumination and displaced aggression

Question 38

How do gang affiliation and rumination interact regarding aggression?

Answer 38

The greatest tendency to displace aggression is seen in those with high gang affiliation and high rumination.

Question 39

What factors influence aggression towards others besides individual differences and gang norms?

Answer 39

A tendency to ruminate about aversive events.