The Neurobiology of Antisocial and Psychopathic Behavior: Evidence from Psychophysiological, Neuroimaging, and Brain Stimulation Studies

Session Submission Type: Complete Thematic Panel

Abstract

This panel contains four empirical studies that examined the neurobiological bases of psychopathic traits and antisocial behaviors in non-incarcerated, non-institutionalized populations. In the first study, researchers tested if undergraduate students with high psychopathic traits have fear conditioning and moral decision-making deficits, and if conditioning deficits may partly contribute to their utilitarian judgment. The second paper presented evidence linking externalizing behavior in children with conditioning deficits to more ecologically meaningful stimuli such as money and social stimuli. The third paper extends the prior study by showing functional abnormalities in brain circuits implicated in reward and/or punishment processing in adolescents with more behavioral problems. Finally, the last paper examined the effect of non-invasive brain stimulation on antisocial behavior. These four studies together elucidate the relationships between neurobiological deficits and antisocial behavior and have important implications for intervention and treatment programs.

Sub Unit

• Area III. Theoretical Explanations of Crime and Criminal Behavior / 1. Biological, Bio-Social and Psychological Perspectives

Individual Presentations

• Do Impairments in Fear Conditioning Predict Reduced Arousal and the Endorsement of Utilitarian Moral Decision-making in Psychopathy? - Shawn Fagan, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY; Yu Gao, Brooklyn College, City University of New York

• Electrodermal Conditioning to Monetary and Social Stimuli and Externalizing Behavior in Children - Yu Gao, Brooklyn College, City University of New York; Shawn Fagan, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY

• Reward and Punishment Processing in Youth Exhibiting Externalizing Behavior and Psychopathic Traits - Yonglin Huang, The Graduate Center, John Jay College / CUNY; Yu Gao, Brooklyn College, City University of New York

• The Effect of Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation of the Prefrontal Cortex on Antisocial Behavior - Olivia Choy, University of Pennsylvania; Adrian Raine, University of Pennsylvania; Roy Hamilton, University of Pennsylvania

Chair

• Yu Gao, Brooklyn College, City University of New York

Discussant

• Robert Schug, California State University, Long Beach