Attention moderates the fearlessness of psychopathic offenders.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Psychopathic behavior is generally attributed to a fundamental, amygdala-mediated deficit in fearlessness that undermines social conformity. An alternative view is that psychopathy involves an attention-related deficit that undermines the processing of peripheral information, including fear stimuli.

Methods

We evaluated these alternative hypotheses by measuring fear-potentiated startle (FPS) in a group of 125 prisoners under experimental conditions that 1) focused attention directly on fear-relevant information or 2) established an alternative attentional focus. Psychopathy was assessed using Hare's Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R).

Results

Psychopathic individuals displayed normal FPS under threat-focused conditions but manifested a significant defici

SUBMITTER: Newman JP 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC2795048 | biostudies-literature | 2010 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature