Deck 7: Criminal Psychopathy

Question 1

Criminal psychopaths make up about what percent of the male inmate population in a maximum security prison?

A) 5-8%
B) 10-25%
C) 85-0%
D) 45-55%
E) 30-43%

Answer 1

B

Question 2

Primary psychopaths who engage in repetitive antisocial behavior are called ___ psychopaths.

A) heinous
B) criminal
C) secondary
D) callous
E) typical

Answer 2

B

Question 3

The core factors of psychopathy have been identified by a statistical method called:

A) correlation.
B) multi-analysis.
C) analysis of variance.
D) factor analysis.
E) regression analysis.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

Those psychopaths who commit antisocial or violent acts because of severe emotional problems or inner conflicts are referred to as:

A) primary psychopaths.
B) mentally disordered psychopaths.
C) secondary psychopaths.
D) psychotic psychopaths.
E) disassociative psychopaths.

Question 5

Which of the following behaviors is not characteristic of the psychopath?

A) Superficial charm
B) Extreme self-centeredness
C) Worry and anxiety about the future
D) Irresponsibility
E) Impulsivity

Question 6

Which individual was not mentioned in the Chapter as a likely example of a psychopath?

A) Faye Ellen Simpson
B) Ferdinand Waldo Demara Jr.
C) Neville Heath
D) Charles Manson
E) Hannibal Lechter

Question 7

Quay has said that psychopaths "know the words but not the music" in reference to their lack of real emotion. This is also known as:

A) tone deafness.
B) emotional vacuity.
C) pathological emotional deficiency.
D) semantic aphasia.
E) apraxia.

Question 8

The Psychopathy Checklist was specifically designed to identify:

A) secondary psychopaths.
B) potential psychopaths during childhood.
C) only those psychopaths without criminal tendencies.
D) only those psychopaths who engage in violent or sadistic acts.
E) psychopaths in male prison populations.

Question 9

Recent research using factor analysis on the behavioral characteristics suggests that there appear(s) to be _____ that adequately describe(s) the behavioral dimensions of psychopaths.

A) only two factors
B) three or more factors
C) hundreds of factors
D) two or three factors
E) one central factor

Question 10

According to Cleckley, which absolute unchanging characteristic is always present in the psychopath?

A) reactive aggression
B) lack of remorse
C) impulsivity
D) pathological lying
E) egocentricity

Question 11

The childhood of the psychopath is often characterized by:

A) hyperactivity.
B) cruelty to animals.
C) enuresis.
D) fire setting.
E) poor school performance.

Question 12

Robert Hare's research studies have found that criminal psychopaths appear to be deficient in:

A) linguistic processing.
B) common sense.
C) intelligence.
D) logic.
E) boundary apathy.

Question 13

The core behavioral dimension that reflects a socially deviant life style, such as impulsiveness, excessive needs for stimulation, and lack of realistic goals is referred to as psychopathic:

A) factor I.
B) factor 2.
C) factor 3.
D) factor 4.
E) asymmetry.

Question 14

The primary psychopath is:

A) usually neurotic.
B) a violent criminal.
C) usually violent and destructive.
D) usually highly emotional.
E) a true psychopath.

Question 15

Psychopaths demonstrate normal appraisal of emotional cues and situations in the abstract (i.e., verbal discussion), but they are deficient in using emotional cues to guide their judgments and behavior in the process of living. This phenomenon is referred to as:

A) emotional paradox.
B) emotional imbalance.
C) habituation.
D) narcomania.
E) callous unemotionality.

Question 16

Currently, Hare's PCL-R is the best measure available of identifying criminal psychopaths. According to Hare, what score must a person receive on this scale to be considered a criminal psychopath?

A) 20
B) 25
C) 22
D) 30
E) 18

Question 17

Robert Hare's research focuses on the _____ of the psychopath.

A) family background
B) neurological features
C) socioeconomic status
D) intelligence
E) antisocial tendencies

Question 18

A psychopath would most likely explain his criminal behavior by saying:

A) "I did it because everyone else was doing it."
B) "I did it for the hell of it."
C) "I did it because it is what I do best."
D) "I did it for the money."
E) "I did it because I've been wronged."

Question 19

According to Robert Hare, antisocial individuals who display aggressive behavior learned from their subculture are _____psychopaths.

A) secondary
B) neurotic
C) true
D) symptomatic
E) dissocial

Question 20

The behavior of the psychopath appears to be primarily an attempt to:

A) receive sexual satisfaction.
B) obtain adequate stimulation.
C) relive his or her childhood.
D) avoid punishment.
E) get back at society.

Question 21

Research and theory suggest that the psychopath has a pathological need for stimulation and excitement because of some deficiency in the:

A) RAS.
B) hypothalamus.
C) thalamus.
D) cerebral cortex.
E) hippocampus.

Question 22

Psychopathy Screening Device or the PSD is one of the measures specifically designed to identify youths with psychopathic characteristics.

Question 23

Suicidality is a common characteristic of older adult psychopaths.

Question 24

A true psychopath consistently displays neurotic and anxious behavior.

Question 25

APD stands for:

A) antisocial psychopathic disorder.
B) asocial personality disorder.
C) antisocial personality disorder.
D) atypical personal depression.
E) asymmetrical personality disorder.

Question 26

Research by Robert Hare on the orienting response suggests that psychopaths:

A) do not habituate to stimuli easily.
B) give larger orienting responses to stimuli than nonpsychopaths.
C) usually exhibit no discernible orienting response to stimuli.
D) are less sensitive and alert to their environment.
E) have difficulty adjusting to new situations.

Question 27

Research indicates that the recidivism rate associated with psychopaths is very high.

Question 28

Some research suggests that psychopathy and bipolar disorder are on the same spectrum of disorders.

Question 29

Hemisphere asymmetry refers to the observation that most psychopaths have superior language ability.

Question 30

Research suggests that the psychopath displays a deficiency in conditionability.

Question 31

Secondary psychopaths are more likely to be found in a maximum security prison.

Question 32

Generally speaking, the autonomic nervous system of the psychopath appears to be:

A) deformed.
B) insufficient.
C) ineffective.
D) overreactive.
E) underaroused.

Question 33

Compared to criminal nonpsychopaths, criminal psychopaths are more likely to kill:

A) males who are strangers.
B) females who are strangers.
C) males who they know well.
D) females who they know well.
E) children under age ten.

Question 34

The core behavioral dimension that reflects the interpersonal and emotional components, such as callousness and manipulation of others, is referred to as psychopathic factor I.

Question 35

Compared to male psychopaths, female psychopaths:

A) commit more property crime.
B) have higher recidivism rates.
C) are less aggressive and violent.
D) have lower recidivism rates.
E) receive higher PCL-R scores.

Question 36

Those researchers who advocate for a fourth core factor in psychopathy argue that ____ should be included with the three core factors.

A) low intelligence
B) arrogance
C) lack of guilt
D) impulsiveness
E) antisocial behavior

Question 37

Neuropsychological indicators have been repeatedly found in psychopaths, as reflected in electrodermal (skin conductance) measures, cardiovascular, and other nervous system indices. These indicators are called:

A) confluence.
B) markers.
C) cloaca.
D) neuroindicators.
E) CVAs.

Question 38

Current research on gender differences of psychopaths suggests that women far outnumber men.

Question 39

Which of the following statements about juvenile psychopathy is correct?

A) There are no instruments available for measuring juvenile psychopathy.
B) Juvenile psychopathy as a construct clearly does not exist.
C) Some researchers are concerned about the negative implications of labeling juveniles as psychopaths.
D) Juvenile psychopaths display behavior identical to that of adult psychopaths.
E) Juvenile psychopathy is correlated with sexual aggression.

Question 40

According to Quay, psychopaths behave the way they do because they:

A) receive an abundance of sensations from the environment.
B) do not receive the full impact of sensations from the environment.
C) have learned the behavior from watching others.
D) do not interact with their environment.
E) haven't learned consequences of their behavior.

Question 41

How is the psychopath different from the non-psychopath on psychophysiology? Thoroughly discuss all relevant features.

Question 42

Briefly describe the core behavioral characteristics of the criminal psychopath.

Question 43

Name and describe five instruments used to measure psychopathy.

Question 44

Compare and contrast the terms sociopath and psychopath.

Question 45

List and describe briefly the four hypothesized dimensions of psychopathy.

Question 46

What behavioral differences have been found between male and female psychopaths?

Question 47

After summarizing the research on "juvenile psychopathy," explain why this construct is so controversial.

Question 48

Describe at least one concern about using the PCL-R across racial and ethnic backgrounds.

Question 49

Define each of the following as proposed by Hare: Primary psychopath; secondary psychopath; dyssocial psychopath; criminal psychopath.

Question 50

What has been learned about a) recidivism and b) treatment of the criminal psychopath?