Inside the Mind of a Psychopath

Jason Cannon, Robyn Dean, Danika Gagné, Kyle Hansen, Allison MacDonald,

Elisa MacKinnon, Kelcey Mouzar

Assessing & Classifying Psychopathy

PCL-R

20 criteria

Scoring

DSM-IV

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Treatment & Benefits

“Beyond help” - Untreatable

Michael Caldwell’s “decompression”

Benefits extend beyond social peace

$60,000

$200-$400 billion per year (USA)

Biological Basis of Psychopathy

Phineas Gage

Paralimbic system

Affected areas

Biological Basis of Psychopathy

Biological Basis Continued

Genetic variability

Genetics and environment

EEG prison experiment

ElectroencephalographyHans Berger, 1929

Creates a map of brain waves

Electrodes

Electronic amplifiers

Brain wave rhythms

Extracranial vs. intracranial

EEGs Pros and Cons

Difficulty detecting where signals are coming from

No radiation/injections/xrays

Quick

Inexpensive compared to other techniques

Easy to perform

ReferencesCaldwell, M. F., Vitacco, M., & Van Rybroek, G. J. (2006). Are violent delinquents worth treating?

A cost-benefit analysis. Journal Of Research In Crime & Delinquency, 43(2), 148-168.

doi:

10.1177/0022427805280053

Empson, J. (1986). Human brainwaves: The psychological significance of the

electroencephalogram. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Macmillan.

Kiehl, K. A., & Buckholtz, J. W. (2010). Inside the mind of a psychopath. (Cover story). Scientific

American Mind, 21(4), 22-29.

Niedermeyer, E., & Silva, F. H. L. (2005). Electroencephalography: Basic principles,

clinical applications, and related fields. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.