مرا به خاطر بسپار؟ صفات روانی و حافظه هیجانی در یک نمونه از دوره کارشناسی

We investigated the effects of psychopathy on emotional memory among a predominantly female undergraduate sample. Undergraduates (N = 153, mean age = 20.1; 80.1% female; 57.1% Caucasian) completed a facial memory task. Participants were presented with a series of faces (sad, scared, angry, happy, neutral), completed a self-report measure of psychopathy, and were presented with another series of faces (with some from the first phase, and some new). Participants were asked whether they recognized each face from the first set, and reaction time (RT) was measured. Although memory for emotional faces did not differ from neutral faces, there were main effects of emotion, gender and psychopathy on RT. A significant 3-way interaction revealed that males who were higher in psychopathy had slower RTs; they were slow to remember sad, angry and neutral faces. In conclusion, psychopathy may affect emotional memory differently across gender. Specifically, undergraduate men, but not women, with higher psychopathy levels may show impaired memory for emotional faces. Implications for future studies of emotional memory and psychopathy are discussed.

Psychopathy (e.g., Hare, 2003, Cleckley, 1941 and Cleckley, 1976) consists of behavioral traits (e.g., criminal versatility, impulsivity), alongside emotional and affective impairments (e.g., lacking empathy). Much attention is paid to the behavioral consequences of psychopathy (e.g., violence and antisocial behavior), with less known about the origins of the emotional deficits in psychopathy. Emotions provide information regarding others’ states and intentions, and deficits in emotion processing may preclude psychopathic individuals from understanding social cues. Emotion processing deficits may be of particular importance in understanding psychopathy among community populations. Yet, to date, few studies examine emotion processing and psychopathy within community samples, particularly among women.