NCJ Number
55622
Journal
Journal of Abnormal Psychology Volume: 76 Issue: 3 Dated: (DECEMBER 1970) Pages: 370-374
Date Published
1970
Length
5 pages
Annotation
USING 14 PSYCHOPATHIC AND 14 NONPSYCHOPATHIC INMATES OF THE BRITISH COLUMBIA, CANADA, PENITENTIARY, A FORCED CHOICE PROCEDURE WAS USED TO DETERMINE THE DETECTION THRESHOLD FOR ELECTRICAL STIMULATION.
Abstract
DESIGNED TO MAINTAIN AROUSAL AND REDUCE THE INFLUENCE OF BOREDOM AND INATTENTIVENESS, THE PROCEDURE FAILED TO INDICATE ANY SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE TWO GROUPS, A RESULT THAT CONTRASTS WITH THE FINDING OF AN EARLIER STUDY--WHICH USED A MORE BORING AND TEDIOUS PROCEDURE--THAT SHOWED PSYCHOPATHS TO HAVE AN UNUSUALLY HIGH DETECTION THRESHOLD (DT). ALL GROUPS SHOWED THE SAME DECREASE IN DT WHEN INCENTIVES (CIGARETTES) WERE USED FOR CORRECT DETECTIONS. TOLERANCE FOR SHOCK WAS ALSO DETERMINED WITH AND WITHOUT INCENTIVES; WITHOUT INCENTIVES THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES BETWEEN BOTH GROUPS, EITHER IN TOLERANCE LEVEL OR IN THE VERBAL DESCRIPTIONS OF VARIOUS SHOCK INTENSITIES. HOWEVER, WHEN INCENTIVES ARE USED, PSYCHOPATHS WERE WILLING TO TOLERATE SIGNIFICANTLY MORE SHOCK THAN WERE THE NONPSYCHOPATHS. WHAT THIS SUGGESTS, WHEN CONSIDERED ALONG WITH THE FINDINGS OF HARE (1968), IS THAT MOTIVATIONAL AND PROCEDURAL FACTORS PROBABLY PLAY AN UNUSUALLY LARGE ROLE IN DETERMINING THE PERFORMANCE OF PSYCHOPATHS ON TASKS REQUIRING SUSTAINED AROUSAL AND ATTENTIVENESS. IN THIS REGARD, IT IS RELEVANT TO NOTE THAT THE LEVEL OF AROUSAL APPEARS TO BE INVERSELY RELATED TO SENSORY THRESHOLD AND TO VIGILANCE. BECAUSE PSYCHOPATHS ARE CHARACTERIZED BY A TENDENCY TOWARD CORTICAL AND AUTONOMIC UNDERAROUSAL, PARTICULARLY IN SITUATIONS THAT COULD BE CONSIDERED DULL OR ROUTINE, THEY SHOULD PERFORM RATHER POORLY ON RELATIVELY TEDIOUS THRESHOLD AND VIGILANCE TASKS. REFERENCES AND GRAPHIC ARE PROVIDED. (KBL)