Dissertation
Successful psychopathy: do abnormal selective attention processes observed in criminal psychopaths replicate among non-criminal psychopaths?
Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.), Drexel University
01 May 2015
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17918/etd-6390
Abstract
Despite growing interest in "successful" psychopathy, little is known about how psychopaths who evade criminal conviction differ from their incarcerated counterparts. Prior research has demonstrated an overselective attention mechanism in criminal psychopathy involving reduced sensitivity to peripheral information during goal-oriented activity. This study explored whether similar processes operate in successful psychopathy. Stroop tasks were used to assess attentional interference in non-criminal community dwelling participants divided into high and low psychopathy groups (N = 47) using the short form of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised. As hypothesized, participants in the high psychopathy group exhibited moderately reduced interference on the modified Stroop task and equivalent interference on the classic Stroop task relative to those in the low psychopathy group, providing evidence of overselective attention in successful psychopathy. Contrasting predictions, primary psychopathy was not associated with reduced interference on the expected (i.e., modified) Stroop task. Participants in the high psychopathy group also reported somewhat greater levels of antisocial conduct and exhibited higher intelligence than participants in the low psychopathy group, inviting speculation that intelligence may distinguish successful from criminal psychopathy.
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Details
- Title
- Successful psychopathy
- Creators
- Heidi Strohmaier - DU
- Contributors
- David S. DeMatteo (Advisor) - Drexel University (1970-)
- Awarding Institution
- Drexel University
- Degree Awarded
- Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)
- Publisher
- Drexel University; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
- Resource Type
- Dissertation
- Language
- English
- Academic Unit
- Psychological and Brain Sciences (Psychology); College of Arts and Sciences; Drexel University
- Other Identifier
- 6390; 991014632403104721