Skin Conductance Responses to a Discrete Threat in Virtual Reality: Associations with Psychopathy and Anxiety

People with high levels of psychopathic traits are often described as fearless and lacking in emotional depth, particularly when evaluating threats in their environments. Skin conductance responsivity (SCR) to negative emotional stimuli represents a robust autonomic correlate of conduct problem behavior in children (Fanti et al., in Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 100, 98–107, 2019). However, studies that have examined threat-related processing in youth with conduct problems have tended to use a variety of negative stimuli that might induce various and unspecific negative emotions. Few studies have taken in to account the moderating effects of anxiety on the relationship of distinct psychopathic traits (e.g., narcissism, callousness, impulsivity) with SCR to a fear inducing stimulus. In this study, we examined SCR to a virtual reality rollercoaster drop – that is, a discrete fear inducing event – in a sample of 75 youths (61 males; M = 14 years, SD = 1.4) enrolled in a non-mainstream school. The rollercoaster drop was used to more clearly examine an event-related response to a discrete threat, rather than examining SCR throughout the rollercoaster ride. We used the teacher-reported Antisocial Process Screening Device (Frick & Hare, in Antisocial process screening device: APSD. Toronto: Multi-Health Systems, 2001) to examine the relations of distinct psychopathic traits with SCR and self-reported anxiety. Lower anxiety was associated with higher callousness, but only in youths with low SCR to discrete threat. These findings suggest that fear and anxiety show complex and interactive relations with distinct psychopathic traits.

The Persian Self-Report Version of the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD-P): A Psychometric Evaluation

The self-report version of the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) is a commonly used tool for assessing psychopathic traits in youth. This is the first study designed to examine the factor structure, internal consistency, and convergent validity of the Persian APSD-SR in a sample of 675 school-attending youth in Iran (46% girls; M age = 16.35). Confirmatory factor analysis supported a modified three-factor model, with items loading on narcissism, callous-unemotional, and impulsivity dimensions, which was invariant across gender. Notwithstanding that the internal consistency of some APSD scores was unsatisfactory, the APSD total and dimension scores showed the expected relations with external correlates (e.g., conduct problems, aggression, and low prosocial behavior), supporting the validity of the interpretation of the APSD scores. The findings showed that the APSD is a useful tool for assessing psychopathic traits in Iranian adolescents and may spark research on adolescent psychopathy in mental health and forensic settings.

Disruptive Behavior Disorders and Psychopathic Traits in Adolescents: Empathy-Related Responses to Witnessing Animal Distress

Cruelty to animals is a symptom of conduct disorder and associated with psychopathic traits in childhood. One of the factors thought to contribute to animal cruelty is reduced empathy and concern for the well-being of animals. A first aim of this study was to examine empathy towards animals in distress in male adolescents with disruptive behavior disorders (DBD) and high or low psychopathic traits, and normal controls (NC). Psychopathic traits were assessed by the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD). Respondents were exposed to a short film clip depicting a baby bear in distress. Heart rate (HR) responses were monitored during film exposure. Afterwards, respondents were asked to report the emotions they had observed and experienced. Contrary to expectations based on research on human empathy, no group differences were found in empathy-related responses to witnessing animal distress. Both DBD groups and normal controls observed equal levels of distress in the baby bear, experienced as much empathy and sympathy, and showed similar levels of HR reduction during the most dramatic scene. Results suggest that empathy for humans does not generalize to animals, and vice versa. A second aim was to examine the associations between empathy-related responses and the broad concept of psychopathy as well as its dimensions. The relationships were different and for the most part reversed in the NC and DBD groups. Group proved to be an important moderating factor, indicating that results obtained within a sample of healthy adolescents do not generalize to adolescents with DBD, and vice versa.

Psychopathic features, paired-associate learning, and lexical decision-making in children

This thesis explored potential links between psychopathic features and difficulties with abstract semantic processing in a clinical convenience sample of children aged 6 through 11. Correlational analyses investigated relationships between parent-reported Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) and Inventory of Callous-Unemotional (ICU) scores, and differences in children's concrete versus abstract performance on paired-associate (PA) and lexical decision (LD) tasks. The expected positive correlations with callous-unemotional traits were not found. However, parent-reported APSD impulsivity, APSD total, and ICU total scores were negatively correlated with differences in LD accuracy. The analyses failed to reveal anticipated differences between concrete and abstract task performance. While the null findings suggest numerous issues with the study protocol, several solutions are proposed, and the importance of measuring the sub-factors of psychopathy (impulsivity, narcissism, CU traits) in future investigations of child cognitive functioning was emphasized.

Psychopathic features, paired-associate learning, and lexical decision-making in children

This thesis explored potential links between psychopathic features and difficulties with abstract semantic processing in a clinical convenience sample of children aged 6 through 11. Correlational analyses investigated relationships between parent-reported Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) and Inventory of Callous-Unemotional (ICU) scores, and differences in children's concrete versus abstract performance on paired-associate (PA) and lexical decision (LD) tasks. The expected positive correlations with callous-unemotional traits were not found. However, parent-reported APSD impulsivity, APSD total, and ICU total scores were negatively correlated with differences in LD accuracy. The analyses failed to reveal anticipated differences between concrete and abstract task performance. While the null findings suggest numerous issues with the study protocol, several solutions are proposed, and the importance of measuring the sub-factors of psychopathy (impulsivity, narcissism, CU traits) in future investigations of child cognitive functioning was emphasized.

A psychometric and validity study of callous-unemotional traits in 2.5 year old children

Callous-unemotional (CU) traits are associated with severe and stable antisocial behaviour in childhood and adolescence. In order to understand the earliest origins of CU traits we need first to know whether measurement is reliable and valid in young children. This study evaluated the psychometric properties and validity of a CU traits measure generated from existing child problem behaviour scales at age 2.5 years. The participants were members of an epidemiological longitudinal study starting in pregnancy. Items from the Antisocial Process Screening Device and other problem behaviour scales were subjected to exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Structural equation modelling was used to test whether age 2.5 CU traits showed incremental validity in predicting aggression at age 5. The CU measure showed acceptable psychometric properties, factorial invariance by sex and good stability. Incremental prediction to later aggression was evident in girls, whereas boys showed strong continuity in aggression not found for girls.