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Boldness psychopathic traits predict reduced gaze toward fearful eyes in men with a history of violence

Lookup NU author(s): Dr Steven Gillespie

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Abstract

Research with developmental and adult samples has shown a relationship of psychopathic traits with reduced eye gaze. However, these relationships remained to be investigated among forensic samples. Here we examinedthe eye movements of male violent offenders during an emotion recognition task. Violent offenders performed similar to non-offending controls, and their eye movements varied with the emotion and intensity of the facial expression. In the violent offender group Boldness psychopathic traits, but not Meanness or Disinhibition, were associated with reduced dwell time and fixation counts, and slower first fixation latencies, on the eyes compared with the mouth. These results are the first to show a relationship of psychopathic traits with reduced attention to the eyes in a forensic sample, and suggest that Boldness is associated with difficulties in orienting attention toward emotionally salient aspects of the face.

Publication metadata

Author(s): Gillespie SM, Rotshtein P, Beech AR, Mitchell IJ

Publication type: Article

Publication status: Published

Journal: Biological Psychology

Year: 2017

Volume: 128

Pages: 29-38

Print publication date: 01/09/2017

Online publication date: 17/07/2017

Acceptance date: 08/07/2017

Date deposited: 26/07/2017

ISSN (print): 0301-0511

ISSN (electronic): 1873-6246

Publisher: Elsevier

URL: http://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopsycho.2017.07.003

DOI: 10.1016/j.biopsycho.2017.07.003

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