Emotion recognition and processing in psychopathy

Psychopathic individuals may be disaggregated into primary and secondary variants. These two variants of psychopathy are thought to differ in adaptive behavior. Primary psychopaths have been observed to be low anxious and emotionally stable whereas secondary psychopaths are higher in anxiety and more emotionally disturbed (Vidal, Skeem, & Camp 2010). Literature shows that primary psychopathy may include an inability to experience negative emotions with intact ability to identify such emotions in others. Yet, secondary psychopaths have been found to be poorer at emotion recognition and appear to experience negative affect when processing emotion (Gazio & Falkenbach 2008). Current research has evaluated emotion recognition in nonclinical individuals with psychopathic traits (primary and secondary) using happy, neutral, and sad emotions. Accuracy of emotion identification (as affected by type of psychopathic traits) was also evaluated. To better clarify any emotion processing and recognition deficits seen in individuals with psychopathic traits, the current study evaluated these individuals using disgust, anger, fear, sad, happy, and neutral expressions. This study examined whether variants of psychopathy was identified in a subsample of (n= 49) adults scoring highly on the Levenson Self Report Psychopathy Trait Scale, (n=26) primary psychopathic traits, (n=23) secondary psychopathic traits, and (n=111) control. Four hypotheses were tested regarding accuracy of emotion of identification and valence while viewing negative emotions. One-way ANOVA analyses evaluated relationships between the psychopathic traits (primary vs. secondary) and scores from the SAM (Self-Assessment Rating Scale), rating scale that measures the way in which visually evoked emotions are experienced and processed. Findings in this study did not yield significant results; however, there were some significant correlation noted. The error rate for recognition was significantly and negatively correlated with negative dominance and negative arousal and significantly and positively correlated with negative pleasure. Negative dominance was significantly and negatively correlated with negative pleasure and positively correlated with negative arousal. Negative arousal was significantly and negatively correlated with negative pleasure and the total psychopathic trait score.