NCJ Number
65024
Date Published
1979
Length
47 pages
Annotation
POTENTIAL APPLICATIONS OF NEUROPHYSIOLOGY, NEUROPSYCHOLOGY, AND PSYCHOPHYSIOLOGY TO THE CRIMINOLOGICAL PROBLEM OF PSYCHOPATHIC BEHAVIOR ARE OUTLINED IN A SURVEY OF CANADIAN RESEARCH.
Abstract
THE HALSTEAD-REITAN NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL TESTS, HAVE PROVED USEFUL FOR DIAGNOSING CEREBRAL LESIONS, BUT THEIR SUITABILITY FOR DIFFERENTIATING SOMATIC FROM SCHIZOPHRENIC CONDITIONS, ESPECIALLY IN DELINQUENTS, IS QUESTIONED. NEUROPHYSIOLOGICAL STUDIES OF PSYCHOPATHS RELY ON THE ELECTROENCEPHALOGRAM FOR DISTINGUISHING PSYCHOPATHS, WHO TYPICALLY SHOW ELEVATED BRAIN WAVE ACTIVITY. HOWEVER, ATTEMPTS TO MEASURE DIFFERENCES IN AMPLITUDE HAVE HAD MIXED RESULTS. STUDIES ON THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE AUTONOMOUS NERVOUS SYSTEM AND EMOTIONS CONSIDER DIAGNOSTICS (FOR ANXIETY, SCHIZOPHRENIA, SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION, PSYCHOSOMATIC ILLNESS, DEPRESSION, HYPERACTIVITY, SOCIAL DEVIANCE) AND EMOTIONAL STATES (E.G., STRESS, SEXUAL AROUSAL, FEAR, AGGRESSION, LYING). THEY ALSO CONSIDER THERAPEUTIC APPLICATIONS (E.G., BIOFEEDBACK, BEHAVIORAL THERAPY AND CONDITIONING), PERIPHERAL RESPONSE IN PERFORMING COGNITIVE TASKS, STANDARDIZATION, AND COMPARISONS OF CENTRAL AND PERIPHERAL MEASURES, AS WELL AS SEXUAL RESPONSE TO EXTERNAL STIMULI (E.G., FILMS AND PHOTOGRAPHS). NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL RESEARCH IN CANADA HAS MADE IT POSSIBLE TO CLASSIFY PSYCHOPATHS BY THE CEREBRAL DYSFUNCTION IN THE RIGHT OR LEFT LATERAL TEMPOROFRONTAL LIMBIC REGIONS (YEUDALL). ATTEMPTS AT CORRELATION OF RESULTS WITH FINDINGS FROM PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS HAVE BEEN LESS SUCCESSFUL. THE CLASSIFICATION, WHICH DIVIDES PSYCHOPATHS INTO FOUR GROUPS, HAS PROVED 70 PERCENT ACCURATE (AND HIGHER FOR VIOLENT CRIMES) FOR PREDICTION OF RECIDIVISM WITHIN A YEAR, WITH 20 PERCENT FALSE POSITIVES. OTHER CANADIAN STUDIES HAVE DEMONSTRATED THAT PSYCHOPATHS HAVE A LOWER LEVEL OF SYMPATHETIC REACTIVITY, RECOVER MORE RAPIDLY FROM STRESS AND ARTERIAL TENSION THAN NORMAL INDIVIDUALS, AND ARE GENERALLY DEFICIENT IN MECHANISMS FOR ANTICIPATING RESULTS. ALSO VIOLENT PSYCHIATRIC DELINQUENTS SHOW A GREATER REACTION THAN NORMAL CONTROLS TO SCENES OF VIOLENCE AND REACT SOMEWHAT DIFFERENTLY TO HETEROSEXUAL STIMULI. AN EXTENSIVE BIBLIOGRAPHY IS SUPPLIED. --IN FRENCH. (KMD)