Graduation Year
2015
Document Type
Thesis
Degree
M.A.
Degree Name
Master of Arts (M.A.)
Degree Granting Department
Criminology
Major Professor
Shayne Jones, Ph.D.
Committee Member
John K. Cochran, Ph.D.
Committee Member
Joshua C. Cochran, Ph.D.
Keywords
behavior, nonverbal, personality, psychopathy, victim
Abstract
Prior research has shown that psychopathic traits correlate with ability to make more accurate assessments of vulnerability based on nonverbal cues (Wheeler, Book, & Costello, 2009; Book, Costello, & Camilleri, 2013). The current study aims to provide further support for this finding, examine effect of criminal experience, and determine if the finding generalizes to females and non-Caucasians. An online survey was conducted, where each participant was shown several videos of people walking alone down a hallway. After each video, they were asked to rate the vulnerability of the depicted person. Higher levels of psychopathic traits (measured by the Elemental Psychopathy Assessment (EPA; Lynam et al., 2011)) were found to correlate with more accurate assessments of vulnerability when white or black males were assessing videos of males of their same race. Prior criminal behavior, however, did not relate to better accuracy, despite its relation to psychopathic traits. Results for females were not consistent with findings for males, indicating the finding may not generalize across gender. Potential reasons for these findings are discussed.
Scholar Commons Citation
Dinkins, Barbara Joyce, "Psychopathy and Perception of Vulnerability" (2015). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/5474
