NCJ Number
218295
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior: An International Journal Volume: 34 Issue: 4 Dated: April 2007 Pages: 531-544
Date Published
April 2007
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study investigated the relationship between psychopathic traits and the perception of nonverbal communication, particularly facial expressions and body language.
Abstract
Results indicated that the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) was significantly and positively correlated with inmates’ accuracy in their emotional intensity ratings. Moreover, psychopathic traits were found to be significantly related to the accuracy of assertiveness ratings on videotaped interactions. The findings thus suggest that psychopathic traits are not associated with any deficits regarding the perception of nonverbal communications. The findings further suggest that psychopathic traits may contribute to accuracy in judging vulnerability in other people, particularly within an interpersonal context. The results indicate the importance of investigating “callous empathy” from a variety of perspectives. Participants were 59 prison inmates and a comparison group of 60 community members who were recruited through newspaper advertisements. Participants completed the PCL-R and Levenson’s Self Report Psychopathy Scale to measure psychopathic traits. Participants were asked to categorize the emotion of posed facial photographs and rate intensity of emotion. Participants also viewed videotaped interactions of a confederate and a target and were asked to rate their assertiveness using the Rathus Assertiveness Scale. Data were analyzed using the Kolmogorov-Smirnov Test, which determines whether variables under analysis meet the assumption of normality. Future research should attempt to replicate these findings with samples that score higher on psychopathy. Tables, references