Response monitoring and adjustment: Differential relations with psychopathic traits.

Abstract

Studies on the relation between psychopathy and cognitive functioning often show mixed results, partially because different factors of psychopathy have not been considered fully. Based on previous research, we predicted divergent results based on a two-factor model of psychopathy (interpersonal-affective traits and impulsive-antisocial traits). Specifically, we predicted that the unique variance of interpersonal-affective traits would be related to increased monitoring (i.e., error-related negativity) and adjusting to errors (i.e., post-error slowing), whereas impulsive-antisocial traits would be related to reductions in these processes. Three studies using a diverse selection of assessment tools, samples, and methods are presented to identify response monitoring correlates of the two main factors of psychopathy. In Studies 1 (undergraduates), 2 (adolescents), and 3 (offenders), interpersonal-affective traits were related to increased adjustment following errors and, in Study 3, to enhanced monitoring of errors. Impulsive-antisocial traits were not consistently related to error adjustment across the studies, although these traits were related to a deficient monitoring of errors in Study 3. The results may help explain previous mixed findings and advance implications for etiological models of psychopathy.

Dysfunctional error-related processing in female psychopathy

“…Also, we did not observe an association between PES and psychopathy, consistent with previous incarcerated adult male samples (Munro et al, 2007;Brazil et al, 2009;. Recently, PES has been associated with self-reported psychopathic traits in community samples comprised of males and females (Bresin et al, 2014). This raises the possibility that methodological differences may account for the discrepant findings, including differences in measurement of psychopathy (self-report vs expert-rater devices) and clinical levels of psychopathy (community samples vs forensic samples).…”

Error-related processing in adult males with elevated psychopathic traits.

“…Reduced ERN/Ne amplitudes have been measured in individuals with elevated psychopathic traits (Dikman & Allen, 2000; Heritage & Benning, 2012). Recently, increased ERN/Ne has been identified in a community sample with a criminal history and elevated psychopathic traits as measured with the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL-SV; Bresin, Finy, Sprague, & Verona, 2014). Other studies have not identified ERN/Ne differences related to psychopathic traits in standard tasks (Brazil et al, 2009; Brazil et al, 2011; Munro et al, 2007) but have in an affective flanker (Munro, et al, 2007).…”

Interactions cognition-émotion et personnalité psychopathique : des trajectoires distinctes vers les comportements antisociaux et violents

“…De plus, des études démontrent que ces traits peuvent également être adaptatifs dans certains contextes, protégeant l'individu de troubles émotionnels et contribuant à leur influence sociale (Lilienfeld et al, 2012 ;Miller & Lynam, 2012). Dans le domaine de la cognition, nous avons observé que les traits reliés au Facteur 1 étaient associés à un meilleur fonctionnement exécutif (Sellbom & Verona, 2007), à une surveillance appropriée de la réponse et à l'ajustement comportemental (Bresin, Finy, Sprague & Verona, 2014). Ces résultats pourraient suggérer que dans le cas où ces individus se tournent vers le crime, ils présenteraient une tendance à arnaquer autrui, à s'engager dans certaines activités criminelles organisées et seraient plus difficiles à appréhender.…”