1
|
Zheng X, Wang J, Yang X, Xu L, Becker B, Sahakian BJ, Robbins TW, Kendrick KM. Oxytocin, but not vasopressin, decreases willingness to harm others by promoting moral emotions of guilt and shame. Mol Psychiatry 2024:10.1038/s41380-024-02590-w. [PMID: 38769372 DOI: 10.1038/s41380-024-02590-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2023] [Revised: 04/29/2024] [Accepted: 05/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024]
Abstract
Prosocial and moral behaviors have overlapping neural systems and can both be affected in a number of psychiatric disorders, although whether they involve similar neurochemical systems is unclear. In the current registered randomized placebo-controlled trial on 180 adult male and female subjects, we investigated the effects of intranasal administration of oxytocin and vasopressin, which play key roles in influencing social behavior, on moral emotion ratings for situations involving harming others and on judgments of moral dilemmas where others are harmed for a greater good. Oxytocin, but not vasopressin, enhanced feelings of guilt and shame for intentional but not accidental harm and reduced endorsement of intentionally harming others to achieve a greater good. Neither peptide influenced arousal ratings for the scenarios. Effects of oxytocin on guilt and shame were strongest in individuals scoring lower on the personal distress subscale of trait empathy. Overall, findings demonstrate for the first time that oxytocin, but not vasopressin, promotes enhanced feelings of guilt and shame and unwillingness to harm others irrespective of the consequences. This may reflect associations between oxytocin and empathy and vasopressin with aggression and suggests that oxytocin may have greater therapeutic potential for disorders with atypical social and moral behavior.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoxiao Zheng
- The Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- The MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Brain Cognition and Brain Disease Institute (BCBDI), Shenzhen Institutes of Advanced Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shenzhen, China
| | - Jiayuan Wang
- The Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- The MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Xi Yang
- The Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- The MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
| | - Lei Xu
- Department of Psychology, Sichuan Normal University, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Benjamin Becker
- The Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- State Key Laboratory of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
- Department of Psychology, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China
| | - Barbara J Sahakian
- The MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Cambridge, Hills Rd., Cambridge, CB2 0QQ, UK
| | - Trevor W Robbins
- The MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Downing St., Cambridge, CB2 3EB, UK.
| | - Keith M Kendrick
- The Center of Psychosomatic Medicine, Sichuan Provincial Center for Mental Health, Sichuan Provincial People's Hospital, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
- The MOE Key Laboratory for Neuroinformation, School of Life Science and Technology, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, Chengdu, China.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Moore KE, Ross SR, Brosius EC. The role of gender in the relations among Dark Triad and psychopathy, sociosexuality, and moral judgments. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2019.109577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
|
3
|
Psychopathic traits are related to diminished guilt aversion and reduced trustworthiness during social decision-making. Sci Rep 2019; 9:7307. [PMID: 31086201 PMCID: PMC6514208 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-019-43727-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2018] [Accepted: 04/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals with high levels of psychopathic tendencies tend to show a lack of guilt, a lack of empathic concern, and a disregard for the impact of their decisions on others. However, how guilt influences social decision-making for those with high psychopathic traits is still unknown. Here, we investigated how psychopathic traits relate to the capacity to acquire knowledge about social expectations, and to what extent guilt aversion affects subsequent decision-making. 63 participants completed self-report measures of psychopathy, and then played a modified Trust Game in the role of the Trustee. Results showed that participants’ self-reported beliefs about their partner’s expectations were largely predictive of the amount of money they returned to the partner. These decisions were negatively correlated with the PPI-I scores. Furthermore, participants’ degree of guilt aversion were negatively correlated with PPI total scores. Our findings suggest that individuals with higher psychopathic traits are indeed capable of understanding the expectations of others, but do not seem to directly utilise this knowledge in their social decision-making, and experience less anticipated guilt about this. The present study provides empirical evidence of intact social knowledge coupled with decreased reciprocity and diminished guilt aversion as levels of psychopathic traits increase.
Collapse
|
4
|
Moral reasoning performance determines epistemic peerdom. Behav Brain Sci 2019; 42:e161. [DOI: 10.1017/s0140525x18002595] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
We offer a friendly criticism of May's fantastic book on moral reasoning: It is overly charitable to the argument that moral disagreement undermines moral knowledge. To highlight the role that reasoning quality plays in moral judgments, we review literature that he did not mention showing that individual differences in intelligence and cognitive reflection explain much of moral disagreement. The burden is on skeptics of moral knowledge to show that moral disagreement arises from non-rational origins.
Collapse
|
5
|
Hadjicharalambous MZ, Fanti KA. Self Regulation, Cognitive Capacity and Risk Taking: Investigating Heterogeneity Among Adolescents with Callous-Unemotional Traits. Child Psychiatry Hum Dev 2018; 49:331-340. [PMID: 28849331 DOI: 10.1007/s10578-017-0753-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
The majority of prior work focuses on understanding the association between callous-unemotional (CU) traits and conduct problems, providing limited information on why some youth who score high on CU traits do not engage in conduct problem behaviors. The current study investigated heterogeneity among a sub-sample of adolescents with CU traits (N = 152; Mage = 13.09, SD = 2.76, 45.6% female) identified from a large community sample. Three groups were compared: control, callous-unemotional traits only (CU-only), and combined callous-unemotional and conduct problems (CU + CP). Participants were administered a battery of neuropsychological computerized tasks assessing risk taking, self-regulation and cognitive capacity. Results indicated that youth high on CU traits and low on CP scored higher on self-regulation and were less likely to make risky decisions compared to youth with combined CU + CP. In general, the findings provided information that heterogeneity within CU traits can be explained based on differences in neuro-cognitive functioning. In addition, the characteristics of youth high on CU traits only can provide information for interventions aiming to decrease conduct problems among youth high on these traits.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Kostas A Fanti
- Department of Psychology, University of Cyprus, PO Box 1601, Nicosia, Cyprus
| |
Collapse
|
6
|
Hmieleski KM, Lerner DA. The Dark Triad and Nascent Entrepreneurship: An Examination of Unproductive versus Productive Entrepreneurial Motives. JOURNAL OF SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT 2016. [DOI: 10.1111/jsbm.12296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022]
|
7
|
Distinct neuronal patterns of positive and negative moral processing in psychopathy. COGNITIVE AFFECTIVE & BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE 2016; 16:1074-1085. [PMID: 27549758 DOI: 10.3758/s13415-016-0454-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Psychopathy is a disorder characterized by severe and frequent moral violations in multiple domains of life. Numerous studies have shown psychopathy-related limbic brain abnormalities during moral processing; however, these studies only examined negatively valenced moral stimuli. Here, we aimed to replicate prior psychopathy research on negative moral judgments and to extend this work by examining psychopathy-related abnormalities in the processing of controversial moral stimuli and positive moral processing. Incarcerated adult males (N = 245) completed a functional magnetic resonance imaging protocol on a mobile imaging system stationed at the prison. Psychopathy was assessed using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). Participants were then shown words describing three types of moral stimuli: wrong (e.g., stealing), not wrong (e.g., charity), and controversial (e.g., euthanasia). Participants rated each stimulus as either wrong or not wrong. PCL-R total scores were correlated with not wrong behavioral responses to wrong moral stimuli, and were inversely related to hemodynamic activity in the anterior cingulate cortex in the contrast of wrong > not wrong. In the controversial > noncontroversial comparison, psychopathy was inversely associated with activity in the temporal parietal junction and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These results indicate that psychopathy-related abnormalities are observed during the processing of complex, negative, and positive moral stimuli.
Collapse
|
8
|
|
9
|
Sacco DF, Merold SJ, Lui JH, Lustgraaf CJ, Barry CT. Social and emotional intelligence moderate the relationship between psychopathy traits and social perception. PERSONALITY AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2016.02.031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
10
|
Yang Y, Wang P, Baker LA, Narr KL, Joshi SH, Hafzalla G, Raine A, Thompson PM. Thicker temporal cortex associates with a developmental trajectory for psychopathic traits in adolescents. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0127025. [PMID: 26017779 PMCID: PMC4446360 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0127025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/30/2014] [Accepted: 04/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychopathy is a clinical condition characterized by a failure in normal social interaction and morality. Recent studies have begun to reveal brain structural abnormalities associated with psychopathic tendencies in children. However, little is known about whether variations in brain morphology are linked to the developmental trajectory of psychopathic traits over time. In this study, structural magnetic resonance imaging (sMRI) data from 108 14-year-old adolescents with no history of substance abuse (54 males and 54 females) were examined to detect cortical thickness variations associated with psychopathic traits and individual rates of change in psychopathic traits from ages 9 to 18. We found cortical thickness abnormalities to correlate with psychopathic traits both cross-sectionally and longitudinally. Specifically, at age 14, higher psychopathic scores were correlated with thinner cortex in the middle frontal gyrus, particularly in females, and thicker cortex in the superior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, and parahippocampal gyrus, particularly in males. Longitudinally, individual rates of change in psychopathic tendency over time were correlated with thicker cortex in the superior temporal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, and posterior cingulate gyrus, particularly in males. Findings suggest that abnormal cortical thickness may reflect a delay in brain maturation, resulting in disturbances in frontal and temporal functioning such as impulsivity, sensation-seeking, and emotional dysregulation in adolescents. Thus, findings provide initial evidence supporting that abnormal cortical thickness may serve as a biomarker for the development of psychopathic propensity in adolescents.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Yaling Yang
- Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Pan Wang
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Laura A. Baker
- Department of Psychology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Katherine L. Narr
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Shantanu H. Joshi
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - George Hafzalla
- Department of Neurology, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| | - Adrian Raine
- Departments of Criminology, Psychiatry, and Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Paul M. Thompson
- Departments of Neurology, Psychiatry, Radiology, Engineering, Pediatrics, and Ophthalmology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California, United States of America
| |
Collapse
|
11
|
Sorge GB, Skilling TA, Toplak ME. Intelligence, Executive Functions, and Decision Making as Predictors of Antisocial Behavior in an Adolescent Sample of Justice-Involved Youth and a Community Comparison Group. JOURNAL OF BEHAVIORAL DECISION MAKING 2015. [DOI: 10.1002/bdm.1864] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Geoff Brian Sorge
- Department of Psychology; York University; Toronto Ontario Canada LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research
| | - Tracey A. Skilling
- Child, Youth, and Family Services; Centre for Addiction and Mental Health; Toronto Ontario Canada
- Department of Psychology; University of Toronto; Toronto Ontario Canada LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research
| | - Maggie E. Toplak
- Department of Psychology; York University; Toronto Ontario Canada LaMarsh Centre for Child and Youth Research
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Krawczyk DC, Kandalaft MR, Didehbani N, Allen TT, McClelland MM, Tamminga CA, Chapman SB. An investigation of reasoning by analogy in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder. Front Hum Neurosci 2014; 8:517. [PMID: 25191240 PMCID: PMC4138786 DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2014.00517] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2014] [Accepted: 06/26/2014] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Relational reasoning ability relies upon by both cognitive and social factors. We compared analogical reasoning performance in healthy controls (HC) to performance in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and individuals with schizophrenia (SZ). The experimental task required participants to find correspondences between drawings of scenes. Participants were asked to infer which item within one scene best matched a relational item within the second scene. We varied relational complexity, presence of distraction, and type of objects in the analogies (living or non-living items). We hypothesized that the cognitive differences present in SZ would reduce relational inferences relative to ASD and HC. We also hypothesized that both SZ and ASD would show lower performance on living item problems relative to HC due to lower social function scores. Overall accuracy was higher for HC relative to SZ, consistent with prior research. Across groups, higher relational complexity reduced analogical responding, as did the presence of non-living items. Separate group analyses revealed that the ASD group was less accurate at making relational inferences in problems that involved mainly non-living items and when distractors were present. The SZ group showed differences in problem type similar to the ASD group. Additionally, we found significant correlations between social cognitive ability and analogical reasoning, particularly for the SZ group. These results indicate that differences in cognitive and social abilities impact the ability to infer analogical correspondences along with numbers of relational elements and types of objects present in the problems.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel C. Krawczyk
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at DallasDallas, TX, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallas, TX, USA
| | - Michelle R. Kandalaft
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at DallasDallas, TX, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallas, TX, USA
| | - Nyaz Didehbani
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at DallasDallas, TX, USA
| | - Tandra T. Allen
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at DallasDallas, TX, USA
| | - M. Michelle McClelland
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at DallasDallas, TX, USA
| | - Carol A. Tamminga
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Texas Southwestern Medical CenterDallas, TX, USA
| | - Sandra B. Chapman
- Center for BrainHealth, School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at DallasDallas, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Cacioppo JT, Cacioppo S, Dulawa S, Palmer AA. Social neuroscience and its potential contribution to psychiatry. World Psychiatry 2014; 13:131-9. [PMID: 24890058 PMCID: PMC4102278 DOI: 10.1002/wps.20118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Most mental disorders involve disruptions of normal social behavior. Social neuroscience is an interdisciplinary field devoted to understanding the biological systems underlying social processes and behavior, and the influence of the social environment on biological processes, health and well-being. Research in this field has grown dramatically in recent years. Active areas of research include brain imaging studies in normal children and adults, animal models of social behavior, studies of stroke patients, imaging studies of psychiatric patients, and research on social determinants of peripheral neural, neuroendocrine and immunological processes. Although research in these areas is proceeding along largely independent trajectories, there is increasing evidence for connections across these trajectories. We focus here on the progress and potential of social neuroscience in psychiatry, including illustrative evidence for a rapid growth of neuroimaging and genetic studies of mental disorders. We also argue that neuroimaging and genetic research focused on specific component processes underlying social living is needed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- John T Cacioppo
- Center for Cognitive and Social Neuroscience, University of Chicago5848 S. University Avenue, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA
| | - Stephanie Cacioppo
- High Performance Electrical Neuroimaging Laboratory, University of ChicagoChicago, IL, USA
| | - Stephanie Dulawa
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, ChicagoIL, USA
| | - Abraham A Palmer
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, University of Chicago, ChicagoIL, USA,Department of Human Genetics, University of ChicagoChicago, IL, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Vieira JB, Almeida PR, Ferreira-Santos F, Barbosa F, Marques-Teixeira J, Marsh AA. Distinct neural activation patterns underlie economic decisions in high and low psychopathy scorers. Soc Cogn Affect Neurosci 2013; 9:1099-107. [PMID: 23748499 DOI: 10.1093/scan/nst093] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychopathic traits affect social functioning and the ability to make adaptive decisions in social interactions. This study investigated how psychopathy affects the neural mechanisms that are recruited to make decisions in the ultimatum game. Thirty-five adult participants recruited from the community underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging scanning while they performed the ultimatum game under high and low cognitive load. Across load conditions, high psychopathy scorers rejected unfair offers in the same proportion as low scorers, but perceived them as less unfair. Among low scorers, the perceived fairness of offers predicted acceptance rates, whereas in high scorers no association was found. Imaging results revealed that responses in each group were associated with distinct patterns of brain activation, indicating divergent decision mechanisms. Acceptance of unfair offers was associated with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity in low scorers and ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity in high scorers. Overall, our findings point to distinct motivations for rejecting unfair offers in individuals who vary in psychopathic traits, with rejections in high psychopathy scorers being probably induced by frustration. Implications of these results for models of ventromedial prefrontal cortex dysfunction in psychopathy are discussed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Joana B Vieira
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA, and School of Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, PortugalLaboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA, and School of Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, PortugalLaboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA, and School of Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Pedro R Almeida
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA, and School of Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, PortugalLaboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA, and School of Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Fernando Ferreira-Santos
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA, and School of Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Fernando Barbosa
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA, and School of Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - João Marques-Teixeira
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA, and School of Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| | - Abigail A Marsh
- Laboratory of Neuropsychophysiology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal, Department of Psychology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC 20057, USA, and School of Criminology, Faculty of Law, University of Porto, 4200-135 Porto, Portugal
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
White SF, Brislin SJ, Meffert H, Sinclair S, Blair RJR. Callous-unemotional traits modulate the neural response associated with punishing another individual during social exchange: a preliminary investigation. J Pers Disord 2013; 27:99-112. [PMID: 23342960 PMCID: PMC3941706 DOI: 10.1521/pedi.2013.27.1.99] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
The current study examined whether Callous-Unemotional (CU) traits, a core component of psychopathy, modulate neural responses of participants engaged in a social exchange game. In this task, participants were offered an allocation of money and then given the chance to punish the offerer. Twenty youth participated and responses to both offers and the participant's punishment (or not) of these offers were examined. Increasingly unfair offers were associated with increased dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) activity but this responsiveness was not modulated by CU traits. Increasing punishment of unfair offers was associated with increased dACC and anterior insula activity and this activity was modulated by CU traits. Higher CU trait participants showed a weaker association between activity and punishment level. These data suggest that CU traits are associated with appropriate expectations of other individual's normative behavior but weaker representations of such information when guiding behavior of the self.
Collapse
|
16
|
Krupp DB, Sewall LA, Lalumière ML, Sheriff C, Harris GT. Nepotistic patterns of violent psychopathy: evidence for adaptation? Front Psychol 2012; 3:305. [PMID: 22973244 PMCID: PMC3428807 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2012.00305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2012] [Accepted: 08/03/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Psychopaths routinely disregard social norms by engaging in selfish, antisocial, often violent behavior. Commonly characterized as mentally disordered, recent evidence suggests that psychopaths are executing a well-functioning, if unscrupulous strategy that historically increased reproductive success at the expense of others. Natural selection ought to have favored strategies that spared close kin from harm, however, because actions affecting the fitness of genetic relatives contribute to an individual's inclusive fitness. Conversely, there is evidence that mental disorders can disrupt psychological mechanisms designed to protect relatives. Thus, mental disorder and adaptation accounts of psychopathy generate opposing hypotheses: psychopathy should be associated with an increase in the victimization of kin in the former account but not in the latter. Contrary to the mental disorder hypothesis, we show here in a sample of 289 violent offenders that variation in psychopathy predicts a decrease in the genetic relatedness of victims to offenders; that is, psychopathy predicts an increased likelihood of harming non-relatives. Because nepotistic inhibition in violence may be caused by dispersal or kin discrimination, we examined the effects of psychopathy on (1) the dispersal of offenders and their kin and (2) sexual assault frequency (as a window on kin discrimination). Although psychopathy was negatively associated with coresidence with kin and positively associated with the commission of sexual assault, it remained negatively associated with the genetic relatedness of victims to offenders after removing cases of offenders who had coresided with kin and cases of sexual assault from the analyses. These results stand in contrast to models positing psychopathy as a pathology, and provide support for the hypothesis that psychopathy reflects an evolutionary strategy largely favoring the exploitation of non-relatives.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel Brian Krupp
- Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Queen’s UniversityKingston, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, Neuroscience and Behaviour, McMaster UniversityHamilton, ON, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of LethbridgeLethbridge, AB, Canada
| | - Lindsay A. Sewall
- Department of Psychology, University of LethbridgeLethbridge, AB, Canada
- Department of Psychology, University of SaskatchewanSaskatoon, SK, Canada
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
17
|
Aharoni E, Sinnott-Armstrong W, Kiehl KA. Can psychopathic offenders discern moral wrongs? A new look at the moral/conventional distinction. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2012; 121:484-97. [PMID: 21842959 PMCID: PMC3397660 DOI: 10.1037/a0024796] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
A prominent view of psychopathic moral reasoning suggests that psychopathic individuals cannot properly distinguish between moral wrongs and other types of wrongs. The present study evaluated this view by examining the extent to which 109 incarcerated offenders with varying degrees of psychopathy could distinguish between moral and conventional transgressions relative to each other and to nonincarcerated healthy controls. Using a modified version of the classic Moral/Conventional Transgressions task that uses a forced-choice format to minimize strategic responding, the present study found that total psychopathy score did not predict performance on the task. Task performance was explained by some individual subfacets of psychopathy and by other variables unrelated to psychopathy, such as IQ. The authors conclude that, contrary to earlier claims, insufficient data exist to infer that psychopathic individuals cannot know what is morally wrong.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eyal Aharoni
- The Mind Research Network, University of New Mexico, 1101 Yale Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA, Phone: 001-505-272-3746, Fax: 001-505-272-8002,
| | - Walter Sinnott-Armstrong
- The Kenan Institute for Ethics, Duke University, 104AA West Duke Building, Box 90432, Durham, NC 27708,
| | - Kent A. Kiehl
- The Mind Research Network, University of New Mexico, 1101 Yale Boulevard NE, Albuquerque, NM 87106, USA, Phone: 001-505-272-3746,
| |
Collapse
|
18
|
Young L, Koenigs M, Kruepke M, Newman JP. Psychopathy increases perceived moral permissibility of accidents. JOURNAL OF ABNORMAL PSYCHOLOGY 2012; 121:659-67. [PMID: 22390288 DOI: 10.1037/a0027489] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
Psychopaths are notorious for their antisocial and immoral behavior, yet experimental studies have typically failed to identify deficits in their capacities for explicit moral judgment. We tested 20 criminal psychopaths and 25 criminal nonpsychopaths on a moral judgment task featuring hypothetical scenarios that systematically varied an actor's intention and the action's outcome. Participants were instructed to evaluate four classes of actions: accidental harms, attempted harms, intentional harms, and neutral acts. Psychopaths showed a selective difference, compared with nonpsychopaths, in judging accidents, where one person harmed another unintentionally. Specifically, psychopaths judged these actions to be more morally permissible. We suggest that this pattern reflects psychopaths' failure to appreciate the emotional aspect of the victim's experience of harm. These findings provide direct evidence of abnormal moral judgment in psychopathy.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Liane Young
- Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA.
| | | | | | | |
Collapse
|
19
|
Turner JA, Lane SR, Bockholt HJ, Calhoun VD. The clinical assessment and remote administration tablet. Front Neuroinform 2011; 5:31. [PMID: 22207845 PMCID: PMC3246293 DOI: 10.3389/fninf.2011.00031] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2011] [Accepted: 11/21/2011] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Electronic data capture of case report forms, demographic, neuropsychiatric, or clinical assessments, can vary from scanning hand-written forms into databases to fully electronic systems. Web-based forms can be extremely useful for self-assessment; however, in the case of neuropsychiatric assessments, self-assessment is often not an option. The clinician often must be the person either summarizing or making their best judgment about the subject’s response in order to complete an assessment, and having the clinician turn away to type into a web browser may be disruptive to the flow of the interview. The Mind Research Network has developed a prototype for a software tool for the real-time acquisition and validation of clinical assessments in remote environments. We have developed the clinical assessment and remote administration tablet on a Microsoft Windows PC tablet system, which has been adapted to interact with various data models already in use in several large-scale databases of neuroimaging studies in clinical populations. The tablet has been used successfully to collect and administer clinical assessments in several large-scale studies, so that the correct clinical measures are integrated with the correct imaging and other data. It has proven to be incredibly valuable in confirming that data collection across multiple research groups is performed similarly, quickly, and with accountability for incomplete datasets. We present the overall architecture and an evaluation of its use.
Collapse
|