Psychopathy: A psychobiological perspective

After critically examining the concept of psychopathy and reviewing the major existing theories of psychopathy in the light of a psychobiological conception of abnormal behaviour (Öhman, 1981), this paper attempts to present an integrated, psychobiological model of psychopathy. Essentially this analyses psychopathy in terms of the predisposing influences, the triggering environmental events which initiate psychopathic behaviour, and the neurophsychological mechanisms which mediate it. It is suggested that individuals who show chronic antisocial behaviour, conforming to the North American term ‘sociopath’, may demonstrate a maturational deficit but do not necessarily show a psychopathic personality disorder. The latter is said to be characterised, at a personality trait level, by high Impulsiveness and Psychopathy (Blackburn, 1982 a, b), reflecting interactive deficits in goal direction and affect. At a dynamic (state) level, a psychopathic personality disorder is said to be characterised by a lack of coping, reflecting either, in the case of the secondary psychopath, a deficit in primary appraisal, (over-perception of threat), or in the case of the primary psychopath, a deficit in secondary appraisal (low perceived control over aversive environmental events). It is further suggested that a genetic predisposition to social withdrawal and exposure to an uncontrollably aversive early environment may interact to predispose an individual to develop a psychopathic personality disorder in adulthood.     

Cognitive, motivational, social, and environmental influences on children's food choices

This study tested the applicability of a cognitive-motivational model of health behavior to children's food choices. A sample of 107 elementary schoolchildren provided ratings of 15 foods in terms of possible choice criteria (e.g., how tasty or healthful specific foods were) and social or environmental influences (e.g., whether foods were eaten by friends or were easy to get). Several measures of food consumption were taken, and cognitive-developmental level was assessed. Within-person correlations were calculated between food choices and each choice criterion and social/environmental factor. These "correlational indices" of influences on food choice subsequently were used to identify five distinct subgroups in the sample. Children at the operational level of cognitive development tended to be in one of three groups characterized by health orientation in food choice, taste orientation, or multiple-motive orientation. Dietary quality was poorest in the taste-oriented group. Children at the preoperational level tended to have one of two undifferentiated patterns of values across the correlational indices. Results provide evidence of: the viability of cognitive-motivational models to explain children's food choices, the promise of within-person research methodology, and the potential for enhanced health behavior-change programs by use of population segmentation and tailored interventions.     

Computing stress

This article is based on a review of recent literature on “computing stress”; that is, on the psychological stress effects of working with computer systems. Current research into the sources of computer-related stress has tended to concentrate on those employees who operate Visual Display Units (VDUs), either on a full-time professional basis as word-processor (WP) operators, data-entry clerks, secretaries, or those dealing with enquiries from the public; or employees who use the VDU irregularly as part of their other duties. A few studies have looked at specific occupation groups, such as printers (Kalimo & Lepp?nen, 1985), information technology professionals (programers and analysts), process workers, and college students (Sproull, Kiesler, & Zubrow, 1984). Generally, however, research has been carried out on office workers, more often women, carrying out administrative tasks. An attempt is made to identify those potential work-related stressors that have been isolated by these studies, and also included are criticisms of the general methodologies used in many of them. The terms “visual display unit,” “visual display terminal,” VDU, VDT, and “terminal” are used interchangeably.     

The effect of subject's gender on judgments of similarity and choice of a comparison other

This study examined the implications for social comparison theory of the proposition that women have lower self-confidence than men when there is a socially defined standard of performance. To this end, it was hypothesized that women would judge themselves to be similar to a lower ranked person, whereas men would judge themselves to be similar to a higher ranked person. Furthermore, it was hypothesized that women would choose to see a score lower than their own, whereas men would choose to see a score higher than their own. The results on the measure of similarity indicated that men did judge themselves to be similar to a higher ranked person, whereas women showed no consistent preferences in their judgments of similarity. The results on the choice of a comparison other were not as clear-cut.     

Computing stress

This article is based on a review of recent literature on “computing stress”; that is, on the psychological stress effects of working with computer systems. Current research into the sources of computer-related stress has tended to concentrate on those employees who operate Visual Display Units (VDUs), either on a full-time professional basis as word-processor (WP) operators, data-entry clerks, secretaries, or those dealing with enquiries from the public; or employees who use the VDU irregularly as part of their other duties. A few studies have looked at specific occupation groups, such as printers (Kalimo & Leppänen, 1985), information technology professionals (programers and analysts), process workers, and college students (Sproull, Kiesler, & Zubrow, 1984). Generally, however, research has been carried out on office workers, more often women, carrying out administrative tasks. An attempt is made to identify those potential work-related stressors that have been isolated by these studies, and also included are criticisms of the general methodologies used in many of them.     

A Commodore 64-based experimental psychology laboratory

When used in conjunction with a 6522 interface board, the Commodore 64 (C64) computer can control and precisely time externally generated stimuli. A C64-based experimental psychology laboratory that uses these capabilities is described along with a set of programs that can be used to control experimentation. The pros and cons of using the C64 as a laboratory computer are discussed.     

On neurotransmitter mechanisms of reinforcement and internal inhibition

Experiments reported in this study have been performed in order to investigate cholinergic and GABA-ergic neurotransmitter systems and substance P in the realization of internal inhibition and pain reinforcement. This was accomplished during the elaboration of inhibitory and defensive conditioned reflexes to light flashes in alert, nonimmobilized rabbits. Present results together with a review of past research indicate that the cholinergic system is directly involved in transmitting the effects of pain reinforcement to neocortical neurons. Substance P, a neuropeptide, reduces the background activity of neocortical and hippocampol neurons and the response of cortical neurons to pain and positive conditioned stimuli. The cholinergic system and substance P exert a modulating effect on the elaboration of internal inhibition. Phenybut, a GABA derivative capable of penetrating the blood-brain barrier, enhances inhibitory hyperpolarization in the cerebral cortex and improves discrimination between the inhibitory and reinforcing light flashes. It appears, therefore, that the GABA-ergic system plays a leading part in the elaboration of internal inhibition. Neuronal activity and slow potential changes in response to positive conditioned and pain stimuli occur in the same direction after administering the preparations, and the dynamics of these changes is different from that in responses to inhibitory stimuli. It may be supposed on these grounds that the neurotransmitter and neuromodulator systems studied possess a considerable degree of plasticity.     

Effects of flash luminance and positional expectancies on visual response latency

It is well established that human observers respond more quickly to visual targets that appear in expected locations than they do to ones in unexpected locations. These variations in simple reaction time have been attributed to a covert alignment of an attentional mechanism to the expected target location. The present experiments investigated the influence of strength of signal and strength of subject’s positional expectancy on the magnitude of this attentional effect. In the first experiment, target luminance was varied over a range of three log units, and it was found that the effects of luminance were essentially additive with the effect of the positional expectancy (i.e., the attention effect). The second experiment found that the magnitude of visual attention interacts with the information value of the precue used to create the spatial expectancy, although, once again, luminance had additive effects. The resuls are interpreted as indicating that, rather than influencing early visual processing, the act of attending to a spatial location operates fairly late in the detection process.     

Tonal frequency shifts and gaps in acoustic stimulation as reflex-modifying events

When a relatively weak signal, such as a mild tone, precedes an intense reflex-eliciting stimulus by an appropriate interval (about 100 msec), the amplitude of the elicited reaction is often reduced. It was found that in student volunteers a brief gap in a steady pure tone that occurred 150 msec prior to a mild tap to the glabella (the flat region between the eyebrows) could inhibit the eyeblink elicited by the tap. It was also found that a shift in tonal frequency across a gap in a tone was more inhibitory than a gap with no frequency shift, but it was no more inhibitory than the onset of the short second tone alone. The final study determined the minimum amount of frequency shift required to produce an additional inhibitory effect above that of a gap alone. The findings are discussed in terms of various aspects of sensory processing.     

Science as a justification for psychology as a social institution

Psychology seeks to justify its claims to privilege as a social institution largely on the basis of its scientific knowledge claims. These knowledge claims tend to be based on, and to reflect a particular view about the nature of science which is under increasing challenge. This situation is discussed and some of its implications examined.