1. Predicting Aggression: Fearless Temperament and Callous Unemotional Traits as pathways to aggressive behavior.
Elise M Cardinale & Abigail A Marsh Georgetown University
RESULTS
MANIPULATION CHECK
INTRODUCTION
Emotional Experience at Markoff’s Haunted Forest
& Callous Unemotional Traits
Emotion Experience at Markoff’s Haunted Forest
Validity of Fear Experience Score
Validity of Aggression Score
Fear
Individuals with psychopathic traits are disproportionately likely to engage in aggressive behavior, adding urgency to the understanding the roots of psychopathy-linked aggression. Core temperamental traits of psychopathy include callous and unemotional (CU) traits and fearlessness. However, the relationship amongst CU traits, fearlessness and aggression has not been explored.
The following study examined the relationship between CU traits, fearlessness and aggression through the following questions:
Are callous unemotional people less fearful?
Which factors are form the strongest predictor of aggression?
Mean SD
Amusement
75.6
19.1
Anger
9.1
15.8
Disgust
11.3
15.9
Fear
54.3
27.6
Sadness
8.0
15.7
Participants reported feeling significantly more Fear and Amusement while walking through the haunted trail than any of the other emotions.
Beta t
Sig
Amusement
-.109
-1.814
.071
Anger
.167
2.287
.023*
Disgust
-.037
-.477
.633
Fear
-.141
-2.309
.022*
Sadness
.030
.449
.653
Linear Regression predicting CU traits. F(5, 261)= 5.570, p< .001, R2 = .096, * p < .05
Fear at Markoff’s
How easy to remember fear in the past?
.111+
How often do you feel afraid?
.365**
How strongly do you feel afraid?
.331**
Sympathetic activity
.588**
My body feels tense
.485**
My breathing is different
.520**
My heart is beating faster
.543**
Fear experience is highly correlated with other aspects of fear experience including general life experience of fear and self-reported sympathetic activity while in the forest.
METHODS
Fear Experience is significantly associated with CU traits F(1, 290)= 4.122, p= Anger Experience F(1, 283)= 5.582, p= .019.
Fearlessness, Callous Unemotional Traits & Aggression
Markoff’s Haunted Forest
Data was collected at Markoff’s Haunted Forest in Poolesville Maryland. Participants completed the following measures immediately after
exiting a 30 minute haunted trail.
Inventory of Callous and Unemotional Traits (ICU)
24 self-report questions that are aimed to assess CU Traits including
three subscales: Callous, Unemotional & Uncaring.
Subjective Emotion Experience Questionnaire
Self-reported emotional experience while in Markoff’s Haunted Forest.
Self-Reported Aggression
Number of times engaged in a physical fight and number of arrests.
Reactive Aggression
Proactive Aggression
Total Aggression
Physical Fights
.194
.246*
.256*
Arrests
.087
.265**
.197
Aggression Score
.198
.325**
.298**
Our calculated regression score was highly correlated with validated measures of aggression especially instrumental aggression.
CONCLUSIONS
Fear Experience is significantly associated with Aggression F(1, 276)= , p< *Anger is not a significant predictor of Aggression
Callous Unemotional Traits is significantly associated with Aggression F(1, 283)= 8.509, p= .004.
Individuals with Callous Unemotional Traits feel less fear and more anger while in a situation designed to elicit fear.
Fearfulness and Callous Unemotional Traits are both significant predictors of aggressive behavior such that higher levels of Callous Unemotional Traits and lower levels of Fear are associated with increases in aggression.
While Callous Unemotional Traits are a significant predictor of aggression, Callousness is driving the relationship with Uncaring and Unemotional traits not significantly predicting aggression.
Callousness and Fearfulness together provide the best model for predicting aggression.
Beta t
Sig
CU Traits
.140
2.409
.017*
Fear
-.238
-4.086
.000**
Linear Regression predicting Aggression. F(2, 274)= , p< .001, R2 = .084, * p < .05, **p< .01
PARTICIPANTS (N=306)
Age
M= 30.93, SD=8.89
Gender
163 Male, 135 Female, 8 did not report
CU Traits
M= 17.41, SD= 8.71
Physical Fights
M= , SD= 13.52
Arrests
M= 0.287, SD=0.942
Predictors of Aggression
Examination of strength of the model when using the three subscales of the ICU & Fear Experience to predict Aggression.
Beta t
Sig
Unemotional
.026
.425
.671
Callous
.175
2.677
.008**
Uncaring
.022
.340
.734
Linear Regression predicting Aggression. F(3, 280)= 3.669,
p= .013, R2 = .038, ** p < .01
Beta t
Sig
Unemotional
-.025
-.405
.686
Callous
.160
2.498
.013*
Uncaring
.047
.731
.465
Fear
-.247
-4.222
.000**
Linear Regression predicting Aggression. F(4, 271)= 7.215,
p< .001, R2 = .096, * p < .05, **p< .01
Beta t
Sig
Callous
.170
2.951
.003**
Fear
-.243
-4.216
.000**
Linear Regression predicting Aggression. F(2, 273)= , p< .001, R2 = .094, **p< .01
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