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Related Experiment Video

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Observational Fear as a Model of Affective Empathy in Mice

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Evaluating the relation between psychopathy and affective empathy: two preliminary studies.

David A Lishner¹, Michael J Vitacco, Phan Y Hong

¹University of Wisconsin Oshkosh, Oshkosh, WI 54901, USA. lishnerd@uwosh.edu

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology

|November 19, 2011

Summary

Contrary to popular belief, this study found that higher levels of psychopathy were not associated with lower affective empathy. In fact, some findings suggested a positive link between psychopathy and affective empathy.

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Area of Science:

Psychology
Forensic Psychology
Social Neuroscience

Background:

Psychopathy is often characterized by a deficit in affective empathy.
This study challenges the widely held assumption that impaired affective empathy is a core feature of psychopathy.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate the relationship between psychopathy and affective empathy.
To examine emotional contagion and empathic concern in individuals with varying psychopathy levels.

Main Methods:

Covert manipulation and measurement of state emotional contagion and empathic concern.
Study included college undergraduates and male forensic inpatients.

Main Results:

Little evidence was found for a negative association between psychopathy and affective empathy.
Higher psychopathy scores were sometimes associated with increased affective empathy.
Psychopathy correlated positively with sadness, anger, and fear, and negatively with happiness in nonforensic individuals.

Conclusions:

Findings question current conceptualizations of interpersonal affect in psychopathy.
Suggests a need to re-evaluate the role of emotional processes in psychopathy.