Psychopathic Traits and the Ability to Plan in the Context: A Research Proposal

Psychopathy is a personality disorder marked by affective, interpersonal, and behavioral deficits. One model, the dual-deficit, separates this construct into two factors: Factor 1 (affective and interpersonal deficits) and Factor 2 (impulsive antisociality). Psychopathy has been associated with deficits in executive functioning, specifically impulsivity and planfulness, although this research remains conflicting. The proposed study aims to provide some clarification as to the relationship between psychopathic traits and planfulness in an adult male inmate population, as well as investigate the impact of context. Using a reward-type paradigm, this study will explore how an individual’s ability to plan changes when (1) there is no potential for reward, (2) there is potential for reward, and (3) there is potential to take someone else’s reward. This paradigm may shed light on the differences between factors of psychopathy. It is hypothesized that individuals high on Factor 2 traits will demonstrate less ability to plan across conditions. It is also expected that individuals high on Factor 1 traits will demonstrate a higher ability to plan, particularly when there is the potential to take someone else’s reward. The proposed research has implications for conceptualizations of psychopathy as well as the treatment and assessment of the construct.