Response perseveration and the triarchic model of psychopathy in an undergraduate sample.

Abstract

This study aimed to extend previously reported links between distinctive configurations of traits in the psychopathic personality and maladaptive response perseveration, by examining performance in the Card Perseveration Task (CPT) within the framework of the triarchic model of psychopathy in a mixed-gender undergraduate sample. A computerized version of the CPT was administered to 222 undergraduates (142 women) assessed for triarchic psychopathy dimensions using the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM). Maladaptive response perseveration (more cards played and less money earned) was uniquely associated with trait boldness scores for both women and men. Moreover, analyses of response times following feedback indicated that poor performance on the CPT was related to lack of overall reflection. Further mediation analyses did not reveal significant effects of trait boldness on the response perseveration deficit through reflection times. Our results provide new evidence for the role of trait boldness in the failure to suspend reward-approach behavior in the face of increasing punishment contingencies, probably due to an absence of fear or insensitivity to punishment cues rather than to an unreflective response style.

Sex Moderates Reward- and Loss-Related Neural Correlates of Triarchic-Model Traits and Antisocial Behavior

“…2). This finding is somewhat inconsistent with previous research that found individuals with high Boldness scores demonstrate behavioral and psychophysiological insensitivity to punishment cues (Ribes-Guardiola et al, 2020; Vaidyanathan et al, 2009). The findings reported in the current study do parallel reports from one recent study (Ribes-Guardiola et al, 2020), which found that females with high Boldness scores demonstrated behavioral insensitivity to punishment feedback, whereas in males, Boldness scores were not associated with a change in behavioral response.…”

“…This finding is somewhat inconsistent with previous research that found individuals with high Boldness scores demonstrate behavioral and psychophysiological insensitivity to punishment cues (Ribes-Guardiola et al, 2020; Vaidyanathan et al, 2009). The findings reported in the current study do parallel reports from one recent study (Ribes-Guardiola et al, 2020), which found that females with high Boldness scores demonstrated behavioral insensitivity to punishment feedback, whereas in males, Boldness scores were not associated with a change in behavioral response. Note that Boldness scores were not associated with neural response to feedback regarding loss, which suggests that although there is increased left NAcc activation in anticipation of loss in males with high Boldness scores, their response when receiving feedback of loss compared with no loss is unrelated.…”

“…Higher Boldness scores were associated with increased activation in the right anterior insula during the loss anticipation condition, which suggests that loss anticipation was perceived as more salient to bolder individuals. This finding is somewhat at odds with previous research that suggests that individuals with high Boldness scores demonstrate a weak BIS system (Fowles, 1980) and decreased sensitivity to punishment cues (Patrick et al, 2009;Ribes-Guardiola et al, 2020). However, because the current study did not directly probe BIS, it is unclear whether this association is actually predictive of behavioral differences in the BIS system.…”

Psychopathy and heart rate variability: A new physiological marker for the adaptive features of boldness.

“…Boldness is the only triarchic disposition consistently related to low neuroticism and high extraversion (e.g., Miller et al, 2016; Poy et al, 2014), personality traits theoretically associated with a weak behavioral inhibition system (Gray, 1987; Gray & McNaughton, 2000), responsible for inhibiting or regulating approach behavior that might lead to adverse outcomes in response to threats of punishment. Indeed, research is beginning to learn about the specific role of boldness in some well-documented threat processing psychopathic deficits including maladaptive response perseveration in the face of punishment (Ribes-Guardiola et al, 2020), diminished startle responses to threat pictures (Este-ller et al, 2016), and reduced amplitudes of late positive potentials to aversive signals (Ellis et al, 2017; Paiva et al, 2020).…”

“…In addition, boldness has shown consistent negative associations with self-report measures of fearfulness/anxiety and internalizing symptomatology (Latzman et al, 2020; Poy et al, 2014). It is worth nothing that boldness has been related to mal-adaptive response perseveration in the face of increasing punishment contingencies (Ribes-Guardiola et al, 2020) but also to an enhanced task switching performance under threat conditions (Yancey et al, 2019), suggesting that resistance to the impact of danger or punishment cues might involve adverse outcomes or an adaptive resilient style depending on the situation. Boldness has recently been shown to predict greater emotional well-being during COVID-19 outbreak (Sica et al, 2021) and reduced frequency of protective behaviors (Paiva et al, 2021), supporting the idea that boldness’ protection from emotional distress may in turn lead to behaviors that increase the risk of getting the disease.…”