Incremental and Interactive Relations of Triarchic Psychopathy Measure Scales with Antisocial and Prosocial Correlates: A Pre-Registered Replication of Gatner et al. (2016)

Abstract

Meanness (i.e., callousness/unemotionality, antagonism) and disinhibition (e.g., impulsivity, antisocial behavior) are the consensus traits which undergird psychopathy. Significant debate exists regarding a proposed third dimension of boldness or fearless dominance, characterized by particularly high levels of both extraversion and emotional stability. The present study is a pre-registered direct replication of the work of Gatner and colleagues (2016) regarding the importance of boldness in psychopathy. Specifically, in a large undergraduate sample (n = 1,015) which more than doubled the original study sample size, we examined whether boldness exhibited curvilinear relations to antisocial and prosocial outcomes, provided incremental predictive utility, and interacted with meanness and disinhibition. Consistent with Gatner and colleagues’ findings, neither incremental, interactive, nor curvilinear effects of boldness accounted for more than a small amount of variance in outcomes beyond the main effects of meanness and disinhibition. We discuss both process and results in the context of promoting a culture of reproducibility, as well as transparent and open practices in clinical science.

Welcome to the Jangle: Comparing the Empirical Profiles of the “Dark” Factor and Antagonism

“… 4. This p value was mistakenly not pre-registered, but the authors attest here to the plan to use this threshold consistent with other recent work by the senior authors (Du et al, 2021; Miller et al, 2022; Sharpe et al, 2021). …”