Full Test Bank Ch6 Psychopathy

Chapter 6

Psychopathy

Multiple Choice Questions

1. Psychopathy is a disorder characterized primarily by which of the following?
   1. Delusions and hallucinations
   2. The inability to distinguish between right and wrong
   3. Very low intellectual functioning
   4. A lack of concern and feelings for others
   5. Alternating episodes of depression and mania
2. Adremy Dennis shot and killed someone during a robbery. Afterwards, he stated, “I ain’t saying it’s all his fault, but why did he move? . . . It ain’t, ‘why did you kill that man?’, it’s, ‘why did he move?’” Which symptom of psychopathy is best exemplified by this statement?
   1. Deceitfulness
   2. Grandiosity
   3. Superficial charm
   4. Lack of remorse
   5. Shallow emotions
3. Some critics argue that antisocial behaviour is not a defining symptom of psychopathy, but rather a common outcome of the disorder. What is this idea referred to as?
   1. Secondary symptom effect
   2. Downstream symptom theory
   3. Consequence hypothesis
   4. Ancillary symptom theory
   5. Antisocial outcome effect
4. What does using the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised to assess psychopathy involve?
   1. The client completing a self-report measure that generates his or her personality profile
   2. An expert rating various symptoms which yield a dimensional measure of psychopathy
   3. An expert evaluating the client to see if he or she exhibits three or more diagnostic criteria, in which case a diagnosis is warranted
   4. An expert evaluating the client’s interpretation of different ink-blots to determine if a diagnosis is warranted
   5. An expert working with a patient to uncover the reasons for maladaptive behaviour
5. Superficial charm, deceitfulness, narcissism, and grandiosity are symptoms of psychopathy that are all considered to be which of the following?
   1. Interpersonal symptoms
   2. Affective symptoms
   3. Lifestyle behaviour symptoms
   4. Antisocial behaviour symptoms
   5. Qualitative characteristics
6. Which of the following statements about the term “sociopathy” is true?
   1. It is often used interchangeably with “psychopathy.”
   2. It does not exist as a separate diagnosis in any current classification scheme.
   3. It first emerged as a term in the early 1900s.
   4. The disorder’s name reflects the view that it is strongly influenced by social forces.
   5. All of the above
7. What is the diagnostic category in the tenth edition of the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-10) that is generally equivalent to psychopathy called?
   1. Dissocial personality disorder
   2. Psychosis
   3. Sociopathy
   4. Antisocial personality disorder
   5. Borderline personality disorder
8. Hare (1993) argues that an asymmetrical relationship exists between antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and psychopathy when it is assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R). What does this asymmetrical relationship mean?
   1. If a person has one of these diagnoses, he or she always has the other diagnosis too.
   2. Most people with ASPD are not psychopaths, but nearly all psychopaths have ASPD.
   3. Most psychopaths do not have ASPD, but nearly everyone with ASPD is a psychopath.
   4. If a person has one of these diagnoses, they cannot possibly have the other diagnosis too.
   5. None of the above
9. Hare (1996) argues that an “asymmetrical relationship” exists between antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and psychopathy when it is assessed using the Psychopathy Checklists-Revised (PCL-R). According to Hare, why does this asymmetry exist?
   1. ASPD cannot be diagnosed in anyone under the age of 18.
   2. ASPD requires evidence of conduct disorder before age 15.
   3. The diagnostic criteria for ASPD put too much emphasis on affective symptoms.
   4. The diagnostic criteria for ASPD put too much emphasis on interpersonal symptoms.
   5. The diagnostic criteria for ASPD put too much emphasis on behavioural symptoms.
10. After clearing a criminal records check, Egbert was hired at Pronto Marketing. Everyone at the firm took an immediate liking to him. He was a smooth talker, entertaining to be around, and according to his own self-reports, he was making a real impact at the firm. It did not take long before his colleagues realized Egbert was unreliable, unethical, and quick to blame them for his failures. When they confronted Egbert about these problems, he became bad tempered and abusive. Egbert is probably an example of what Hare (1993) would call a what?
    1. Subcriminal psychopath
    2. Psychopath in a suit
    3. White collar psychopath
    4. Corporate chameleon
    5. Criminal psychopath
11. Which of the following statements concerning the relationship of psychopathy and criminal behaviour is NOT supported by research?
    1. Psychopathy is related to reoffending.
    2. Psychopathy is related to violent offending.
    3. Psychopathy is related to violating prison rules.
    4. Psychopathy is related to specializing in a particular type of offence.
    5. Psychopathy is related to the frequency of offending.
12. What did research by Williamson et al. (1987) comparing the nature of violent incidents perpetrated by psychopaths and nonpsychopaths find?
    1. The psychopaths were less likely to have used violence for material gain.
    2. The psychopaths were less likely to have committed murder.
    3. The psychopaths were more likely to have exhibited heightened emotional arousal.
    4. The psychopaths were more likely to have acted violently against a family member.
    5. The psychopaths were more likely to target women.
13. In general, compared to nonpsychopaths, the violence of psychopaths is more likely to resemble ________ violence except for the fact that it tends to ________.
    1. instrumental; be impulsive
    2. reactive; be premeditated
    3. instrumental; involve highly charged emotions
    4. reactive; involve little emotional arousal
    5. instrumental; target family members
14. The sexual offending of psychopaths is consistent with the symptoms of the disorder. There is evidence that prior to the offence they tend to feel ________ and the sexual offence tends be ________.
    1. anxious; premeditated
    2. positive; premeditated
    3. sad; premeditated
    4. anxious; a crime of opportunity
    5. positive; a crime of opportunity
15. Despite the relationship that exists between psychopathy and criminal offending, there is evidence that psychopaths may be more likely than nonpsychopaths to be released early from prison on parole. What is it speculated reason for this finding?
    1. Parole boards often feel their sentence should be reduced because of their disorder.
    2. They tend to have strong family connections and social support in the community.
    3. They adjust better to prison life and are less likely to have violated the institutional rules.
    4. They are very adept at convincing parole boards they will lead law-abiding lives.
    5. They typically have good employment records and job prospects on the outside.
16. Psychopathy does not appear to have a strong relationship to future sexual offending, except when psychopathy occurs in combination with which of the following?
    1. Being sexually abused as a child
    2. Sexual deviance (e.g., pedophilia)
    3. High testosterone levels
    4. A previous period of imprisonment
    5. The recent break up of a romantic relationship
17. Which statement below best characterizes the extent to which psychopaths are found among female offenders in prison?
    1. No female psychopaths are found.
    2. The base rate of psychopathy is lower than the rate for male offenders.
    3. The base rate of psychopathy is about the same as the rate for male offenders.
    4. The base rate of psychopathy is higher than the rate for male offenders.
    5. All female offenders are psychopaths.
18. Gender differences in the expression of psychopathy are notable for which of the following?
    1. Affective symptoms
    2. Interpersonal symptoms
    3. Behavioural symptoms
    4. Both A and B
    5. All of the above
19. According to Lynam (1996), the risk of a child becoming a “fledgling” psychopath is elevated when he or she exhibits which of the following?
    1. Hyperactivity
    2. Impulsivity
    3. Attention deficits
    4. Both A and B
    5. All of the above
20. Which of the statements below describes psychopathy among youth?
    1. Psychopathic traits become increasingly stable throughout adolescence.
    2. There is a presence of callous-emotional traits such as lack of empathy.
    3. Many adolescents with early signs of psychopathy do not become adult psychopaths.
    4. Both A and B
    5. All of the above
21. Over the course of adulthood it appears the affective and interpersonal symptoms of psychopathy ________ while the lifestyle and antisocial symptoms ________.
    1. remain relatively unchanged; decrease or become less pronounced
    2. remain relatively unchanged; increase or become more pronounced
    3. remain relatively unchanged; also remain relatively unchanged
    4. increase or become more pronounced; remain relatively unchanged
    5. decrease or become less pronounced; remain relatively unchanged
22. Which of the following appears to be true of the level of criminal behaviour of adult psychopaths?
    1. Never changes throughout adulthood
    2. Declines sharply around age of 40, but remains higher than the level for nonpsychopaths
    3. Declines sharply around age of 40, until it is as low as the level for nonpsychopaths
    4. Increases steadily throughout adulthood
    5. Spikes after age 55
23. The level of psychopathy appears to be higher on average among North American prisoners compared to European prisoners. What is the speculated reason for this difference?
    1. Subtle aspects of the symptom descriptions are lost in translations of the PCL-R.
    2. Psychopaths are more likely to end up in the mental health system in Europe.
    3. More effective treatments for psychopathy have been implemented in Europe.
    4. The genes responsible for psychopathy are less common in Europe.
    5. Many European countries do not consider psychopathy to be a diagnosis.
24. Alfredo is highly psychopathic. He breaks into a house one night thinking it is empty, but he is surprised to find there is a 70-year-old woman confined to a wheelchair in the home. Her eyes are wide and her voice trembles when speaks. Most people would easily recognize the woman’s terror and feel badly, but Alfred does not. He proceeds to punch her viciously in the head and bind her to the wheelchair. Which theory best explains his reaction?
    1. Hare’s hypoemotionality model
    2. Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance
    3. Newman’s response modulation model
    4. Lykken’s fearlessness model
    5. Baumeister’s threatened egotism model
25. Hare (1998) described psychopaths as showing a “confusion of emotional polarity” because of which of the following?
    1. They have trouble distinguishing positive and negative emotions.
    2. They are emotionally volatile and unpredictable.
    3. They generally suffer from bipolar disorder.
    4. They become confused when they are extremely emotional.
    5. They do not know the difference between right and wrong.
26. Bert has been diagnosed as a psychopath. As Bert is walking down the street, he sees a motorist leave his vehicle with the engine running while he dashes inside a nearby store. Bert becomes so focused on stealing the car that he does not notice that there is a baby sitting in the rear seat, or that the driver is returning, and he proceeds to try and steal it. Bert’s behaviour is best explained by which of the following?
    1. Newman’s response modulation model
    2. Lykken’s fearlessness model
    3. Festinger’s theory of cognitive dissonance
    4. Hare’s hypoemotionality model
    5. Baumeister’s threatened egotism model
27. Rueben is highly psychopathic and constantly getting into physical altercations with other people he feels are acting aggressively towards him. During an assessment, he tells the evaluator that “it is a dog eat dog world” and “only the strong survive.” Which theory best explains Rueben’s behaviour and statements?
    1. Festinger’s cognitive dissonance
    2. Hostile attribution bias
    3. Hare’s hypoemotionality model
    4. Baumeister’s threatened egotism model
    5. Lykken’s fearlessness model
28. Which symptom of psychopathy is best accounted for by Newman’s response modulation theory?
    1. Lack of empathy
    2. Lack of remorse
    3. Deceitfulness
    4. Superficial charm
    5. Impulsive behaviour
29. In a study of the response modulation model, Newman and colleagues (1987) demonstrated that psychopaths did much more poorly than nonpsychopaths on a card-playing task because they chose to continue playing long after it stopped being profitable and they were losing money. The performance difference between psychopaths and nonpsychopaths was eliminated by modifying the task so the participants had to do which of the following?
    1. Explain how they felt after each card they drew
    2. Watch a visual display of their heart rate during the task
    3. Identify out loud which card they had just drawn
    4. Wait 5 seconds before drawing the next card
    5. Administer an electric shock each time they drew a losing card
30. What is the key personality trait that features in Baumeister’s threatened egotism model?
    1. Impulsivity
    2. Lack of empathy
    3. Deceitfulness
    4. Narcissism
    5. Lack of remorse

Short Answer Questions

Distinguish between psychopathy and psychosis.

Robert Hare (1993) argues that an asymmetrical relationship exists between antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and psychopathy when it is assessed with the PCL-R. Explain this asymmetrical relationship. What is the difference in the diagnostic criteria of ASPD and the PCL-R that likely accounts for this asymmetry?

Describe two differences in the way psychopathy is assessed using the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and the way antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is assessed using the DSM-5.

Discuss what Hart and Dempster (1997) mean when they describe psychopathic violence as “impulsively instrumental.”

A study by Williamson et al. (1987) of incarcerated offenders noted that the violent psychopathic offenders were less likely to have been convicted of murder than the violent nonpsychopathic offenders. Discuss why this finding makes sense based on what we know about psychopathy.

Briefly explain the age-related changes that are observed in adult psychopaths, both in terms of the affective, interpersonal, and behavioural symptoms of psychopathy, as well as their criminal offending.

Briefly describe Hare’s hypoemotionality model and how it accounts for the offending behaviour of psychopaths. Identify one of the symptoms of psychopathy implicated by the model.

Briefly describe Newman’s response modulation model and how it accounts for the offending behaviour of psychopaths. Which symptom of psychopathy does the model account for?

Essay Questions

1. Describe the PCL-R and the process of assessing psychopathy using this instrument. As part of your answer, identify the three broad domains of symptoms it addresses and identify a symptom in each.
2. The text describes five theories that may explain psychopathy’s link to criminal and violent offending: Lykken’s fearlessness model, Hare’s hypoemotionality model, Newman’s response modulation model, hostile attribution bias, and Baumeister’s threatened egotism model. Choose any three of these theories, briefly describe the theory and then explain how it accounts for the criminal and violent behaviour of psychopaths.