Can psychopathic offenders discern moral wrongs? A new look at the moral/conventional distinction.
A prominent view of psychopathic moral reasoning suggests that psychopathic individuals cannot properly distinguish between moral wrongs and other types of wrongs. The present study evaluated this view by examining the extent to which 109 incarcerated offenders with varying degrees of psychopathy could distinguish between moral and conventional transgressions relative to each other and to nonincarcerated healthy controls. Using a modified version of the classic Moral/Conventional Transgressions task that uses a forced-choice format to minimize strategic responding, the present study found that total psychopathy score did not predict performance on the task. Task performance was explained by some individual subfacets of psychopathy and by other variables unrelated to psychopathy, such as IQ. The authors conclude that, contrary to earlier claims, insufficient data exist to infer that psychopathic individuals cannot know what is morally wrong.
Duke Scholars
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Related Subject Headings
- Young Adult
- Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
- Pilot Projects
- Morals
- Middle Aged
- Male
- Judgment
- Intelligence
- Humans
- Female
Citation
Published In
DOI
EISSN
ISSN
Publication Date
Volume
Issue
Start / End Page
Related Subject Headings
- Young Adult
- Psychiatric Status Rating Scales
- Pilot Projects
- Morals
- Middle Aged
- Male
- Judgment
- Intelligence
- Humans
- Female