10. Interactions, Psychopathy, and Altruism

Why is considering the interaction between personality and situational factors as explanations for behaviour important?

Considering the interaction usually explains more than either in isolation.

example of the power of interactions

Predicting who is anxious at a given moment:

-personality (individuals who are higher in trait anxiety are more likely to feel anxious at a given moment)

-situation (People who are waiting for an important result are more likely to be anxious than someone who is not in that situation)

-both (Elevated anxiety for all in anxiety-provoking situation, but especially for those higher in trait anxiety)

implications

When you want to observe individual differences between people (e.g., personality influencing behaviour) → consider situations most likely to reveal these differences; E.g., exam room vs oral presentation in class vs party; most likely to reveal different levels of extraversion?

What is psychopathy?

a personality dimension associated with selfishness, callousness, manipulativeness, meanness, boldness, disinhibition, and proactive aggression.

How is psychopathy related to cognitive empathy?

High levels of psychopathy are associated with unimpaired levels of cognitive empathy

How is psychopathy related to affective empathy?

High levels of psychopathy are associated with lower levels of affective empathy

affective empathy

the ability to experience another person's emotions

cognitive empathy

ability to take the perspective of others and to feel concern for others

what are 2 theories of psychopathy

- amygdala dysfunction & fear deficits

- attentional bottleneck theories

amygdala dysfunction & fear deficits theory

can't feel fear (reduced) because amygdala doesn't function properly

attentional bottleneck theory

individuals have a limited amount of attentional resources that they can use at one time; intense goal-directed attentional focus, ignoring goal-irrelevant stimuli, including signs of others' distress.

how is psychopathy measured

- hare psychopathy checklist original (plc-22)

- hare psychopathy checklist revised (plc-r)

- levenson self-report psychopathy scale (lsrp)

- christian and sellborn's revised lsrp

- triarchic model of psychopathy (tpm)

What is the Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-22)?

A 22-item checklist of perceived personality traits and observable behaviors used in forensic settings.

What is the Hare Psychopathy Checklist revised (PCL-R)?

same as PCL-22 but dropped 2 underperforming items

What is the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRP)?

It measures 'primary' and 'secondary' psychopathy in community non-forensic samples.

What defines primary psychopathy according to the LSRP?

characterized by selfishness, manipulativeness, and callousness.

What defines secondary psychopathy according to the LSRP?

characterized by self-defeating lifestyles and extreme impulsivity.

What are the implications of observing individual differences in behavior?

Situations most likely to reveal these differences should be considered, such as exam rooms versus social settings.

what is christian and sellports revised lsrp

3 distinct factors instead of 2 (Egocentric, Callous, Antisocial)

What is an example of an egocentric item from the LSRP?

Success is based on survival of the fittest; I am not concerned about the losers.

What is a callous example item from the LSRP?

I tend not to think about other people's feelings.

What is an antisocial example item from the LSRP?

I have been in a lot of shouting matches with other people.

What are the three components of the Triarchic Model of Psychopathy?

Boldness, Meanness, Disinhibition

What is a boldness example from the Triarchic Model?

I'm a born leader.

What is a meanness example from the Triarchic Model?

Not minding if someone I dislike gets hurt.

What is an example of disinhibition from the Triarchic Model?

I've often missed things I promised to attend.

What are the criteria for diagnosing Antisocial Personality Disorder?

Must show a continuing pattern of disregard for others' rights, occurring since age 15, with three or more specific behaviors.

What is the key difference between Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) and psychopathy?

APD focuses on observed behavior, while psychopathy examines the psychological processes underlying behavior.

What is a hallmark of psychopathy?

Proactive aggression, which is calculated and planned.

What did Batson argue about human motivations?

There are instances where people are truly motivated by altruism, caring for others for its own sake.

What is the difference between altruistic and egoistic motivations in helping behavior?

Altruistic motivation is driven by the desire for others' well-being, while egoistic motivation is driven by self-interest.

What are the two types of motivations Batson identified?

Altruistic motivation and egoistic motivation.

can egotistical motivations still help

yes but to reduce their own distress or to create priase

What did Batson find about people who feel empathy and compassion?

They are likely to help regardless of whether escape from the situation is easy.

What is the impact of easy escape on helping rates if the motivation is egoistic?

Helping rates would decline sharply when escape is easy.