1. Differentiating Psychopathic and Alexithymic Emotional Traits With Thin Slices of Verbal Behaviour K. Kaseweter, M.Sc. Candidate, University of Northern British Columbia E. Browne, M.Sc., University of Northern British Columbia K. Prkachin, Ph.D., University of Northern British Columbia
Abstract
Results
Conclusion
Studies of nonverbal behavior indicate that substantial information about personal characteristics can be found in “thin slices” – very limited samples of the behavioral stream. This concept can also be applied to samples of verbal behavior. We examined the influence of psychopathy and alexithymia characteristics in thin slices of emotional verbal behavior participants completed the Self-Report Psychopathy (SRP-III) and Toronto Alexithymia (TAS-20) scales, Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ) and a version of the Levels of Emotional Awareness Scale (LEAS-A) in which they described how they and another would feel in 5 emotional scenarios. Textual responses were limited to 255 characters and evaluated using the Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). As expected, SRP and TAS scores were positively correlated with each other, and negatively correlated with TEQ scores. SRP scores negatively correlated with frequency of positive feeling words, sad words, and anxiety words; TAS and TEQ scores did not correlate with affect word use. Discriminant analysis showed SRP scores could be significantly predicted from sad word use. Results suggest that SRP characteristics were detectable in thin slices of verbal behavior; alexithymic and empathy characteristics were not. Implications for clarifying distinct emotional deficits associated with the two traits will be discussed.
Word count ranged from 108 to 204 words.
Mean Word Count =
SRP-III and TAS-20 scores were positively correlated with one another (r = .201*) and negatively correlated with TEQ scores (r = -.336** and r = -.226* respectively). (Figure 1)
The relationship between SRP-III and TAS-20 scores did not remain significant when controlling for TEQ scores.
Significant negative Pearson’s r correlations were found between SRP-III (overall and subscale scores) and affective content of verbal thin-slices (see Table 1; Figure 2).
In linear regression, number of sad and positive words significantly predicted SRP-III scores (F = 12.64, p < .001, R2 = .192).
SRP-III overall score predicted 11.2% variance in sad word use (F = 14.52, p < .001, R2 = .121) and 6.2% of variance in positive word use (F = 8.13, p = .005, R2 = .071).
In discriminant function analysis, 72% of high and low SRP-III scorers (Top & Bottom 25) were correctly classified using affective content of verbal thin-slices (see Table 2).
No significant Pearson’s r correlations were found between TEQ or TAS-20 (overall or subscale) and affective content of verbal thin-slices (Figures 3 and 4).
The influence of psychopathic characteristics is detectable in thin slices of verbal behaviour. Specifically, higher levels of psychopathic characteristics were associated with the use of fewer affect words.
SRP-III scores could be significantly predicted from affect word use (i.e., positive feeling and sad words) taken from very brief textual responses containing ~120 words.
Unlike previous studies, which have shown differences in verbal behaviour with incarcerated psychopaths describing highly emotionally charged events (homicide), this study showed differences in non-incarcerated students with psychopathic characteristics describing low-level, imaginary emotional provocations.
This study extends previous findings in suggesting that the emotional deficit associated with psychopathic characteristics is broad, generalized and independent of an empathy deficit.
Findings suggest the principal deficit associated with psychopathic characteristics may relate more to the processing of personal emotion than to third person emotion (empathy).
Alexithymic characteristics are not detectable in thin slices of verbal behaviour.
Given the accepted definition of alexithymia as a principally emotionally communicative deficit (“no words for emotion”), results from this study are unexpected.
Empathy, the theoretically principal deficit in both psychopathy and alexithymia, was not found to be associated with verbal expressiveness.
This study extends the concept of thin-slice methodology to small samples of verbal behaviour and highlights its potential value in studies of affective traits.
Introduction
Substantial information about personal characteristics can be found in thin slices– very limited samples of the behavioral stream.1
Psychopathy and alexithymia are distinct emotional disorders that share a deficit in empathic processing.
Psychopathy has been shown to influence verbal behaviour and word usage: e.g., psychopathic homicide offenders have been shown to use less emotionally intense and pleasant words.2
Research on verbal behaviour in alexithymia has produced mixed findings: e.g., some studies suggest that high levels of alexithymic traits are linked to use of fewer emotion-related words,3 while other studies show no difference in verbal expressiveness in alexithymics.4
The relationship between empathy and verbal expressiveness remains unclear.
A study has not been conducted investigating differential effects of psychopathy and alexithymia on thin slices of verbal behaviour.
Table 1. Correlations between SRP-III and Number of Words
Figure 1.
Affect
Positive
Sad
Anxiety
SRP
-.293**
-.267**
-.347**
IPM
-.210*
-.279** CA
-.304**
-.259**
-.305**
ELS
-.201*
-.278**
ASB
-.316**
-.251**
-.211*
Table 2. Discriminant Function Analysis
Acknowledgements
Predicted Group
Actual Group
Low SRP
High SRP
17 (68%)
8 (32 %)
6 (24%)
19 (76%)
Methods
This research was supported by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council and a University of Northern British Columbia Research Project Award.
108 undergraduate participants completed the Self-Report Psychopathy (SRP-III), Toronto Alexithymia (TAS-20), Toronto Empathy Quotient (TEQ) and Levels of Emotional Awareness (LEAS-A) scales via an online research participation system.
The LEAS-A was shortened to include only 5 questions, eliciting hypothetical responses to situations such as receiving negative feedback at work or giving a loved one a backrub. Responses were limited to 255 characters each (approx. 3 sentences).
LEAS-A responses were analyzed for affective content (i.e. use of sad, anxious and positive words) using LIWC software.
Correlation analysis was used to determine relationships between personality measures and emotional verbal behaviour, and followed up with discriminant function and linear regression analyses.
References
*72.0% of original grouped cases correctly classified
1Ambady, N., Bernieri, F.J., and Richeson, J.A. (2000). Toward a histology of social behavior: Judgmental accuracy from thin slices of the behavioral stream. In M.P. Zanna (Ed.), Advances in experimental social psychology, Vol San Diego, CA: Academic Press – 271.
2Hancock, J. T., Woodworth, M. T., & Porter, S. (2013). Hungry like the wolf: A word‐pattern analysis of the language of psychopaths. Legal and Criminological Psychology, 18(1),
3Roedema, T. M., & Simons, R. F. (1999). Emotion‐processing deficit in alexithymia. Psychophysiology, 36(3),
4Wagner, H., & Lee, V. (2008). Alexithymia and individual differences in emotional expression. Journal of Research in Personality, 42(1),
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Figure 4.