Cognitive Mechanisms Underlying Prosocial Decision Making in Callous-Unemotional Traits

Winters, Drew E.; Pettine, Warren Woodrich; Sakai, Joseph T.

doi:10.1007/s10862-023-10043-x

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

References 48 publications

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“…Together these findings suggest that youth higher in CU traits use their brains differently during top-down control and that this impacts their capacity to engage in other tasks where topdown control is required. While top-down control is ubiquitous across a number of processes (Friedman & Robbins, 2022), inhibition deficits related to how those higher in CU traits use their brain could account for a number of core impairments specific to CU such as deficient affect processing and prosocial behavior (Winters, Pettine, et al, 2023).…”

Section: Distinct Associations Of Inhibition and Brain By Cu And Cpmentioning

confidence: 99%

Executive function and underlying brain network distinctions for callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems in adolescents

Winters,

Dugré,

Sakai

et al. 2023

Preprint

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The complexity of executive function (EF) impairments in youth antisocial phenotypes of callous-unemotional (CU) traits and conduct problems (CP) challenge identifying phenotypic specific EF deficits. We can redress these challenges by (1) accounting for EF measurement error and (2) testing distinct functional brain properties accounting for differences in EF. Thus, we employed a latent modeling approach for EFs (inhibition, shifting, fluency, common EF) and extracted connection density from matching contemporary EF brain models with a sample of 112 adolescents (ages 13-17, 42% female). Path analysis indicated CU traits associated with lower inhibition. Inhibition network density positively associated with inhibition, but this association was strengthened by CU and attenuated by CP. Common EF associated with three-way interactions between density*CP by CU for the inhibition and shifting networks. This suggests those higher in CU require their brain to work harder for lower inhibition, whereas those higher in CP have difficulty engaging inhibitory brain responses. Additionally, those with CP interacting with CU show distinct brain patterns for a more general EF capacity. Importantly, modeling cross-network connection density in contemporary EF models to test EF involvement in core impairments in CU and CP may accelerate our understanding of EF in these phenotypes.

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Section: Distinct Associations Of Inhibition and Brain By Cu And Cpmentioning

confidence: 99%

Executive function and underlying brain network distinctions for callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems in adolescents

Winters,

Dugré,

Sakai

et al. 2023

Preprint

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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Cognitive and affective perspective taking amongst adolescent offenders with variants of callous–unemotional traits

Anderson,

Hawes,

Snow

2024

Eur Child Adolesc Psychiatry

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Evidence suggests that associations between antisocial behaviour, callous–unemotional (CU) traits and cognitive empathy (e.g. perspective taking) vary depending on more fine-grained dimensions of these constructs. This study examined associations between adolescent antisocial behaviour and individual differences in cognitive and affective perspective taking ability. Based on current theory regarding distinct variants of CU traits, we further tested whether the correlates of CU traits differed amongst youth with high versus low levels of anxiety. Participants were 130 male adolescents (81 youth offenders; 49 non-offenders) aged 13–20 years, of predominantly Caucasian and Aboriginal Australian ethnicity. Perspective taking skills were indexed using performance-based testing, and self-report data was collected on CU traits and anxiety in a cross-sectional design. Offender status was associated with poorer cognitive and affective perspective taking. In addition, associations between CU traits and perspective taking skills were moderated by anxiety. Specifically, CU traits were associated with poorer skills for second-order cognitive perspective taking amongst high-anxiety youth, whereas CU traits were associated with better cognitive and affective perspective taking skills amongst low-anxiety youth. More fine-grained assessment of such factors stands to enhance understanding of, and effective intervention for, antisocial youth.

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Reduced prosocial motivation and effort in adolescents with conduct problems and callous‐unemotional traits

Gaule,

Martin,

Lockwood

et al. 2024

Child Psychology Psychiatry

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BackgroundProsocial behaviours – acts that benefit others – are of crucial importance for many species including humans. However, adolescents with conduct problems (CP), unlike their typically developing (TD) peers, demonstrate markedly reduced engagement in prosocial behaviours. This pattern is particularly pronounced in adolescents with CP and high levels of callous‐unemotional traits (CP/HCU) who are at increased risk of developing psychopathy in adulthood. While a substantial amount of research has investigated the cognitive‐affective mechanisms thought to underlie antisocial behaviour, much less is known about the mechanisms that could explain reduced prosocial behaviours in adolescents with CP.MethodsHere we examined the willingness to exert effort to benefit oneself (self) and another person (other, prosocial condition) in children with CP/HCU, CP and lower levels of CU traits (CP/LCU) and their TD peers. The task captured both prosocial choices, and actual effort exerted following prosocial choices, in adolescent boys aged 11–16 (27 CP/HCU; 34 CP/LCU; 33 TD). We used computational modelling to reveal the mechanistic processes involved when choosing prosocial acts.ResultsWe found that both CP/HCU and CP/LCU groups were more averse to initiating effortful prosocial acts than TD adolescents – both at a cognitive and at a behavioural level. Strikingly, even if they chose to initiate a prosocial act, the CP/HCU group exerted less effort following this prosocial choice than other groups.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that reduced exertion of effort to benefit others may be an important factor that differentiates adolescents with CP/HCU from their peers with CP/LCU. They offer new insights into what might drive low prosocial behaviour in adolescents with CP, including vulnerabilities that may particularly characterise those with high levels of CU traits.

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Cognitive Mechanisms Underlying Prosocial Decision Making in Callous-Unemotional Traits

Cited by 3 publications

References 48 publications

Executive function and underlying brain network distinctions for callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems in adolescents

Executive function and underlying brain network distinctions for callous-unemotional traits and conduct problems in adolescents

Cognitive and affective perspective taking amongst adolescent offenders with variants of callous–unemotional traits

Reduced prosocial motivation and effort in adolescents with conduct problems and callous‐unemotional traits

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