Autonomic components of vicarious conditioning and psychopathy

Abstract

Examined vicariously instigated electrodermal activity within a classical conditioning paradigm using electric shock to a model as the unconditioned stimulus. Thirty-nine male Ss were selected for the study and divided into three groups: primary psychopaths (PP), secondary psychopaths (SP), and nonpsychopathic normals (NP). The selection procedures were based on scores obtained from the MMPI and the Activity Preference Questionnaire. The conditioning paradigm was composed of three GSR recording periods, which were identified as resensitization, conditioned anticipation, and vicarious instigation, respectively. Results indicated that the PP and the SP groups produced significantly less conditioned anticipatory GSRs than the NP group. The PP group also produced significantly less vicariously instigated GSRs than the SP and NP groups.