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Criminal behaviors: A theory of mind problem?
Francesca Mariani1,2, Ismael Calandri3, Sergio Dansilio1,2
1Institute of Fundamentals in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology.
Applied Neuropsychology. Adult
|March 11, 2024
Summary
Criminal offenders show deficits in cognitive theory of mind (ToM), impacting social norm understanding. This impairment is linked to prefrontal cortex functions and psychopathy, not violent acts themselves.
Area of Science:
- Neuroscience
- Psychology
- Criminology
Background:
- Theory of Mind (ToM) is associated with specific brain region alterations.
- Understanding ToM deficits in criminal populations is crucial for forensic psychology.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess ToM abilities in incarcerated criminal offenders.
- To investigate the relationship between ToM and prefrontal cortex functions in this population.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Faux-Pas (FP) and Reading the Mind in the Eyes tests for ToM assessment.
- Administered neuropsychological tests for executive functions and frontal lobe functions.
- Included Hare's Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) for psychopathy assessment.
- Compared 52 offenders (homicide, drug offenses) with 19 healthy controls.
Main Results:
- Offender groups performed comparably on most measures.
- Controls demonstrated significantly better performance on the Faux-Pas test.
- Found moderate negative correlations between FP performance and PCL-R scores.
- Identified cognitive ToM deficits in incarcerated individuals.
Conclusions:
- Distinguished between affective and cognitive ToM, with cognitive deficits noted in offenders.
- Suggests ToM impairment relates to social norm violation rather than the violent act itself.
- Links cognitive ToM deficits to prefrontal cortex related functions and psychopathy.
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