LE3 .A278 2010

2010

Potter, Susan

Acadia University

Bachelor of Science

Honours

Psychology

Psychology

Previous research has found that psychopaths possess deficits in information processing; however, the cause of these deficits is not well understood. Researchers have proposed three hypotheses to explain these deficits: the Response Modulation hypothesis, the Left Hemisphere Activation hypothesis and the Interhemispheric Transfer hypothesis. Sixteen Acadia University students, screened for psychopathic personality traits using the Primary and Secondary Psychopathy Scales and selected based on their high or low scores, participated in a cognitive task that assessed various aspects of information processing. Visual stimuli were presented tachistoscopically to the right and left visual fields, and subsequent recall of information that was the centre of the participants’ attentional focus versus non- attended information was analyzed. Participants were also given the Psychopathic Personality Inventory- Revised to further assess their psychopathic personality traits, as well as the trait portion of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory. Overall, trends in the results provided some support for the Response Modulation hypothesis.

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https://scholar.acadiau.ca/islandora/object/theses:725