The psychopathic individual: A lack of responsiveness to distress cues?

Robert James; Richard Blair; Lawrence Jones; Fiona Clark; Margaret Smith

doi:10.1111/j.1469-8986.1997.tb02131.x

The psychopathic individual: A lack of responsiveness to distress cues?

Robert James, Richard Blair, Lawrence Jones, Fiona Clark, Margaret Smith

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

269 Scopus citations

Abstract

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 Pscyhopathy Checklist-Revised, Toronto: MultiHealth 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.

Original language	English (US)
Pages (from-to)	192-198
Number of pages	7
Journal	Psychophysiology
Volume	34
Issue number	2
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1469-8986.1997.tb02131.x
State	Published - Mar 1997
Externally published	Yes

Keywords

Antisocial personality
Autonomic response
Emotion
Empathy
Psychopathy

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Neuroscience(all)
Neuropsychology and Physiological Psychology
Experimental and Cognitive Psychology
Neurology
Endocrine and Autonomic Systems
Developmental Neuroscience
Cognitive Neuroscience
Biological Psychiatry

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10.1111/j.1469-8986.1997.tb02131.x

Cite this

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AU - Clark, Fiona

AU - Smith, Margaret

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The psychopathic individual: A lack of responsiveness to distress cues?

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

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