Self-reported psychopathy and its association with criminal cognition and antisocial behavior in a sample of university undergraduates.

Abstract

The present study examined the construct of psychopathy (as assessed via self-report) and its relation to criminal attitudes, criminal thinking styles, and self-reported antisocial behavior in a sample of 248 Canadian university undergraduate students. Participants completed 3 forensic self-report measures (Self-Report Psychopathy: Short Form; Criminal Sentiments Scale-Modified; Criminal Thinking Profile), and a measure of self-reported antisocial behaviour. Moderate to large positive correlations were observed among the 3 forensic self-report measures. Self-reported antisocial behaviours, organized into 2 groups reflecting serious infrequent antisocial behaviours and more frequent but generally less serious rule violations, were significantly positively correlated with several indexes of psychopathy and criminal cognition. Multiple regression analyses revealed that, controlling for Criminal Thinking Profile and Criminal Sentiments Scale-Modified scales, the Self-Report Psychopathy: Short Form Antisocial scale uniquely predicted serious self-reported antisocial behaviour while its Lifestyle scale uniquely predicted more frequent and less severe antisocial behaviour. The present study supports the construct validity of self-report forensic measures in a university undergraduate sample and the relations of self-reported psychopathic traits to criminal cognition and antisocial behaviour.

Psychopathy and Accounting Students’ Attitudes towards Unethical Behaviors

“…At subclinical 2 levels, psychopathy is measured by an established self-report instrument (Levenson, Kiehl, & Fitzpatrick, 1995), and the callous attitudes expressed by individuals scoring high on this instrument are disturbing in their implications for the commission of fraudulent or unethical acts. Moreover, the study finds significant correlations between psychopathy scores and acceptance of specific fraudulent unethical acts, contributing to the research that indicates acceptance of such acts implies a higher likelihood of their commission (e.g., Riopka, Coupland, & Olver, 2015).…”

“…Because they are rare, extreme phenomena often are difficult to capture statistically. Nonetheless, this study demonstrates that subclinical psychopathy, as measured with an established self-report instrument, partially drives important unethical attitudes, and presumably the willingness to carry out unethical or fraudulent acts (Riopka et al, 2015). It also demonstrates, consistent with Bailey (2015), that research participants are willing to give frank responses to sensitive or incriminating questions when they are confident of anonymity.…”

“…Third, the underlying concern for the accounting profession is that psychopathy correlates with the acceptance of unethical practices, which in turn allows the rationalization of unethical conduct. Given existing research (e.g., Riopka et al, 2015), the question is not whether the correlation exists, but its magnitude-i.e., how much variance in these attitudes psychopathy explains. The next research question addresses this link: RQ3: How highly do the LSRP scores correlate with acceptance of questionable or blatantly unethical practices?…”

“…To mitigate concerns about self-identification, both age and gender were optional responses. Gender is often significant in ethics-related studies (generally in favor of females), and males tend to score higher on primary psychopathy (e.g., Riopka et al, 2015;Wilson & McCarthy, 2011). Other demographic variables included the respondent's class level (junior, senior, or graduate/earned bachelor's) and the institution's sponsorship (public, secular private, or religious private).…”

Relations among psychopathy, moral competence, and moral intuitions in student and community samples

“…With respect to psychopathy and moral intuitions, psychopathy was negatively related to the moral intuition to practice purity or sanctity of body, mind, and soul. Given their tendency to make insincere commitments to personal goals, interpersonal relationships, and societal principles, it is perhaps not surprising that individuals higher in psychopathy exhibited decreased concerns about purity (Hare & Neumann, ; Riopka, Coupland, & Olver, ).…”