Deficient fear conditioning and self‐reported psychopathy: The role of fearless dominance

• DOI: 10.1111/j.1469-8986.2012.01493.x
• Publication Date: 2012-12-13T20:29:18Z
• Authors: Raúl López; Rosario Poy; Christopher J. Pa...; Javier Moltó
• Keywords: Dominance (genetics)

Abstract The role of the two dimensions psychopathy—dispositional fearlessness (theorized to reflect variations in reactivity brain's defensive system) and externalizing proneness (presumed function anterior regulatory systems)—in fear learning was examined a sample undergraduates assessed using Psychopathic Personality Inventory‐Revised ( PPI ‐ R ) who participated differential aversive conditioning task. Only scores on self‐reported “fearless dominance,” irrespective “impulsive antisociality,” were related diminished acquisition physiological fear. Consistent with dual‐process accounts psychopathy proposing divergent etiological pathways for interpersonal/affective social deviance features disorder, our results lend support existence deficit system underlying dimension psychopathy.