EMOTION IN THE CRIMINAL PSYCHOPATH - FEAR IMAGE-PROCESSING

We tested the hypothesis that the response mobilization that normally accompanies imagery of emotional situations is deficient in psychopath s. Cardiac, electrodermal, and facial muscle responses of 54 prisoners , assigned to low- and high-psychopathy groups using R. D. Hare's (199 1) Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, were recorded while subjects imagine d fearful and neutral scenes in a cued sentence-processing task. Group s did not differ on self-ratings of fearfulness, imagery ability, or i magery experience. Low-psychopathy subjects showed larger physiologica l reactions during fearful imagery than high-psychopathy subjects. Ext reme scores on the antisocial behavior factor of psychopathy predicted imagery response deficits. Results are consistent with the idea that semantic and emotional processes are dissociated in psychopaths.