NCJ Number
18896
Date Published
1969
Length
77 pages
Annotation
TESTS WHETHER PSYCHOPATHS PERFORM IN A BEHAVIORAL CHOICE SITUATION IN A WAY CONSISTENT WITH THE IDEA THAT THEY EXPERIENCE MINIMAL ANTICIPATORY ANXIETY.
Abstract
USING AN ACTIVITY PREFERENCE QUESTIONNAIRE, FIVE ANXIETY TASKS WERE MATCHED AND PAIRED WITH FIVE NON-ANXIETY AROUSING TASKS, ACCORDING TO THEIR DEGREE OF UNPLEASANTNESS. TWENTY-FIVE PSYCHOPATHS AND 25 NONPSYCHOPATHS WERE REQUIRED TO MAKE A CHOICE BETWEEN EACH PAIR, AFTER BEING INFORMED THEY HAD TO PERFORM THE TASKS CHOSEN. THE SUBJECTS WERE REQUIRED TO PERFORM EACH OF THE TASKS SELECTED. SUBJECTS WERE SELECTED ON THE BASIS OF NOMINATIONS USING CLECKLEY'S CRITERIA OF PSYCHOPATHY AND ON THE BASIS OF A CLINICIAN'S DIAGNOSTIC IMPRESSION FROM REVIEWING THEIR RECORDS. IT WAS PREDICTED THAT IF THE PSYCHOPATHS WERE LESS ANXIOUS, THEY WOULD SELECT SIGNIFICANTLY MORE OF THE ANXIETY TASKS THAN THE NONPSYCHOPATHS. FOR PURPOSES OF COMPARISON WITH PREVIOUS STUDIES, SEVERAL ADDITIONAL MEASURES OF ANXIETY WERE TAKEN. FOR INSTANCE, THE SUBJECTS WERE PLACED IN AN IMMEDIATE VS. DELAYED SHOCK CHOICE SITUATION, SIMILAR TO THAT USED BY HARE. LATER THE MMPI AND LYKKEN'S APQ WERE ADMINISTERED TO OBTAIN ADDITIONAL ANXIETY COMPARISON MEASURES FOR THE SUBJECTS. THE RESULTS SUGGESTED THAT THE PSYCHOPATHS AND NONPSYCHOPATHS DIFFERED NEITHER IN THEIR CHOICE BEHAVIOR NOR ON ANY OF THE OTHER ANXIETY MEASURES OBTAINED. THUS IT WAS CONCLUDED THAT THE PSYCHOPATHS AND NONPSYCHOPATHS SELECTED FOR THIS STUDY DID NOT DIFFER IN ANXIETY REACTIVITY. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)