| Psychopathy and attention have been extensively studied, although often with mixed findings, with some suggesting superior attention in individuals with psychopathy and others suggesting diminished attention capacity in people with psychopathy. Most of this research has been conducted on incarcerated populations, hence little is known about the relation between attention and psychopathy in an undergraduate population. The current study examined the relation between psychopathic personality and divided and sustained attention in 109 undergraduates. We found that divided attention declined as score on the Coldheartedness factor increased which may contribute to the insensitive interpersonal style exhibited by people with psychopathy. We also found that in women, as score on the Fearless Dominance factor increased, sustained attention increased. This pattern supports the idea that women high on psychopathic personality have a superior ability to focus on stimuli of immediate interest, possible accounting for their goal-oriented behavior, sometimes at the expense of others. |
