NCJ Number
57502
Date Published
1978
Length
37 pages
Annotation
AN OVERVIEW IS PROVIDED OF CONTEMPORARY PHYSIOLOGICAL RESEARCH AND THEORY ON THE NATURE OF PSYCHOPATHY, WITH PARTICULAR EMPHASIS ON THE CORRELATES OF ELECTRODERMAL AND CARDIOVASCULAR ACTIVITY.
Abstract
WHILE RESEARCHERS NOW ADOPT THE SAME OR A SIMILAR METHOD FOR THE SELECTION OF SUBJECTS FOR STUDIES OF PSYCHOPATHY--CLECKLEY'S CHECKLIST OF THE PSYCHOPATHIC PERSONALITY--A VARIETY OF EXPERIMENTAL APPROACHES HAVE BEEN EMPLOYED WITH SOMETIMES CONSISTENT, SOMETIMES VARYING RESULTS. MEASURES OF TONIC ELECTRODERMAL ACTIVITY, PHASIC RESPONSES TO SIGNALLED AND UNSIGNALLED STIMULI, ELECTRODERMAL RESPONSES TO UNSIGNALLED STIMULI, ANTICIPATORY ELECTRODERMAL RESPONSES, AND ELECTRODERMAL RECOVERY TIME HAVE ALL BEEN USED, WITH SOME SUCCESS, TO TENTATIVELY AFFIRM THE HYPOTHESIS THAT PSYCHOPATHIC INDIVIDUALS REACT DIFFERENTLY IN STATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT PROPORTIONS DURING EXPERIMENTAL PROCEDURES THAN DO NONPSYCHOPATHIC CONTROLS. STUDIES FOCUSING ON CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES TO UNSIGNALLED STIMULI AS WELL AS ANTICIPATORY CARDIOVASCULAR RESPONSES HAVE PURSUED SIMILAR RESULTS, ALTHOUGH MUCH OF THE RESEARCH ON CARDIOVASCULAR CORRELATES HAS BEEN LESS CONCERNED WITH THE IMPLICATIONS OF THESE CORRELATES FOR EMOTIONAL BEHAVIOR THAN WITH THEIR IMPLICATIONS FOR ORIENTING AND DEFENSIVE BEHAVIOR AND THE MODULATION OF SENSORY IMPUT. THESE STUDIES APPEAR TO INDICATE THAT PSYCHOPATHS DIFFER VERY LITTLE FROM OTHERS IN CARDIAC REACTIVITY TO SIMPLE STIMULI SUCH AS TONES OR ELECTRIC SHOCKS, ALTHOUGH THEY DO DIFFER MARKEDLY IN ANTICIPATORY CARDIOVASCULAR ACTIVITY PRIOR TO NOXIOUS STIMULI. GRAPHIC DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (KBL)