Psychopathy and Callous-Unemotional Traits Lecture

These flashcards cover the vocabulary and key concepts from Essi Viding's guest lecture on psychopathy, focusing on developmental risk pathways, genetic heritability, and neurocognitive findings.

Psychopathy

An adult disorder characterized by diminished empathy and remorse, manipulation of others, and serious antisocial conduct including premeditated aggression.

CP/HCU

A combination of high levels of conduct problems and high level of callous-unemotional traits in children, identifying those at higher risk to develop psychopathy in adulthood.

Annual societal cost of psychopathy

An estimated 460 billion.

Psychopathy prevalence

Approximately 1% in the general population and 25% in the prison population.

Heritability of CP/CU

Severe anti-social behavior is strongly heritable particularly for boys when coupled with high levels of callous traits.

Intercept

In the context of trait research, this refers to how an individual is currently with specific traits.

Slope

In the context of trait research, this refers to how specific traits develop over time.

Amygdala

The brain region associated with a reduced ability to recognize emotions, especially fear, which shows low activity in children with CU traits.

SMA and AI

The Supplementary Motor Area and Anterior Insula; these brain areas, which facilitate social reciprocity, show attenuated activity to laughter in children at risk for psychopathy.

Prosocial Choice driving factor

Reduced prosocial intentions driven by higher reward by effort discounting for others than for self.

Negative parental discipline

An environmental risk found to correlate with higher CP at age 12 in MZ twins when measured at age 7.

Warm and consistent parenting

An environmental factor that can buffer against the development of CU traits in children who are at genetic risk for antisocial behavior.

Single-shot interventions

Interventions focusing on a single risk factor that findings suggest may not produce lasting changes in CU traits or CP.

Embedded brain

A concept referring to the transaction and iterative unfolding of brain and cognitive development within a relational context.

Missing heritability gap

A research gap that has seen more progress in phenotypes like educational achievement and schizophrenia compared to psychopathy.