Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

9-2025

Document Type

Master's Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science

Program

Cognitive Neuroscience

Advisor

Yu Gao

Subject Categories

Clinical Psychology | Cognitive Neuroscience | Neuroscience and Neurobiology | Personality and Social Contexts | Psychology

Keywords

psychopathic variants, social exclusion, ANS regulation

Abstract

Psychopathy is a complex personality disorder characterized by distinct emotional and interpersonal deficits, and affects approximately 25% of the prison population and 4.5% of nonincarcerated populations. The manifestation of psychopathy can be understood through two distinct variants, each demonstrating unique etiological pathways and clinical presentations. Primary psychopathy is characterized by core interpersonal and affective deficits, including shallow emotions and manipulativeness, while demonstrating reduced autonomic responsivity and lower anxiety levels. Secondary psychopathy presents with higher levels of impulsivity, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation, showing stronger associations with various psychopathologies. Treatment outcomes also vary between the variants, with primary psychopaths typically showing poor response to traditional therapeutic interventions, while secondary psychopaths often demonstrate better treatment outcomes, particularly with interventions targeting emotion regulation and trauma processing. Recent research has challenged traditional conceptualizations of psychopathy as uniformly maladaptive, particularly regarding primary psychopathic traits. Studies have identified positive correlations between primary psychopathy and advantageous characteristics, including high intelligence, enhanced emotional stability, and increased stress resistance. This has led to the emergence of the "successful psychopathy" concept, focusing on how individuals with elevated primary psychopathic traits effectively navigate mainstream society. Findings suggest that certain psychopathic traits might serve as a buffer against psychological distress, although through potentially maladaptive mechanisms. In contrast, secondary psychopathy consistently correlates with maladaptive outcomes, including major depressive disorder, anxiety, and substance use disorders.

The relationship between psychopathy and autonomic nervous system function has been explored through heart rate variability (HRV) analysis. While linear HRV analysis has provided valuable insights, non-linear HRV analysis offers a more comprehensive understanding of the complex neurocardiac system and its relationship to psychological functioning. This approach has revealed important insights into the relationship between psychological well-being and physiological adaptability, though research specifically examining cardiac complexity in psychopathy using non-linear analysis remains limited. This study explored cardiac complexity concerning psychopathic personality traits between psychopathy variants through linear and non-linear analysis of HRV. Hypotheses were tested using data from two independent studies. In both studies, male and female adults (N = 107 in study 1, and N = 149 in study 2) from the college and the community self-reported their psychopathic traits and completed a social exclusion task in the lab while their electrocardiography data was acquired. Linear and nonlinear HRV analyses were conducted using Kubios HRV Scientific software. The results showed that in study 1, psychopathic traits were associated with sample entropy and detrended fluctuation analysis reactivities, two nonlinear HRV measures reflecting cardiac information complexity, under exclusion conditions. However, such effects were not found in study 2. These results provide initial evidence and highlight the importance of examining non-linear HRV measures that may give greater insights into the cardiac complexity concerning psychopathic traits.

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