1. Prosocial and Antisocial Development

2. Individual Differences in Prosocial Behavior
Role of Nature:
Identical twins show modest correlations in tendency to engage in prosocial acts
Most likely due to differences in temperament
e.g. amount of negative emotion and regulation of emotion
e.g. Assertiveness
Again, a key difference in moral reasoning and moral action—e.g. how cognitive functioning and personality style (moral character) interact to influence behavior

3. Nurture (e.g. Parents influence in 3 main ways)
Modeling and communication of values
More imitation of those that have a positive relationship with
Discussions of consequences on person’s feelings not just indicating good/bad
Opportunities for prosocial activities
“Snowball” effect: those that engage in prosocial feel better about themselves, others treat them more positively, thus engage in more prosocial behavior
Discipline and parenting style
Supportive and constructive parenting is related to higher prosocial behavior
Physical punishment, threats, and authoritarian parenting are related to lower sympathy and prosocial behavior
Physical rewards for prosocial behavior decrease motivation later for prosocial behavior if the reward is not present
Punishment for not using prosocial behavior leads the child to believe the reason for helping is to avoid own punishment

4. Antisocial Behavior Comes in many forms, degrees, many paths to it
Poor parenting > child conduct problems
> peer rejection + academic failure
> deviant peer group > antisocial behavior
“Poor parenting” can result from low SES, low education, unemployment, marital discord/divorce, etc.
Amplifying effect = stressors greater for those who already have negative traits or poor social skills

5. Conduct Disorder 9% of males, 2 % of females under age 18
Basic rights of others are violated, social norms and rules violated
Disturbance of conduct lasting at least 6 months during which 3 of the following have been present:
Has stolen without confrontation of victim
Ran away from home more than twice
Often lies
Deliberately engages in fire setting
Often truant from school
Broken into someone else care, house, etc.
Cruel to animals
Forced someone into sexual activity
Initiates physical fights
Used a weapon in more than one fight
Stolen with confrontation of a victim
Physically cruel to people

6. Antisocial Personality Disorder
A personality disorder = enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, or thinking about world, exhibited in a range of contexts; inflexible and maladaptive (often recognizable by adolescence or earlier)
Conduct disorder prior to age 15 and
A pattern of irresponsible and antisocial behavior since age 15 including at least 4 of the following:
Unable to sustain consistent work behavior
Fails to conform to social norms; lawful behavior
Irritable and aggressive
Fails to honor financial obligations
Impulsive
No regard for the truth (lies, cons, uses aliases)
Reckless regarding own and others’ safety
If parent, lacks ability to function as responsible parent
Has never sustained a monogamous relationship for more than a year
Lacks remorse

7. ASPD: Bob Hare’s Descriptives
Emotional/Interpersonal Problems
Glib and superficial
Egocentric
Lack of remorse or guilt
Lack of empathy
Deceitful and manipulative
Shallow emotions
Social Problems
Impulsive
Poor behavior controls
Need for excitement
Lack of responsibility
Early behavior problems

8. Antisocial Personality Disorder

9. Classic Inconsistency
Continuity across development (5%) but at the same time:
The majority of those with conduct disorders do not go on to develop ASPD
There is a markedly higher rate of antisocial behaviour in teens (peeks at age 17, up to 70% of teens) (it may be normative?)

10. Equifinality Moffit’s (1993) Theory Two paths: Life-Course Persistent
Starts early and continues into adulthood
Adolescence-Limited
Starts and ends in adolescence

11. Life Course Persistent
Factors that predispose us to ASPD
1. Genetics
2. Prenatal alcohol and drug abuse
3. Obstetrical complications
Resulting in neurological damages
Neurological damages expressed in 3 ways:
Difficult temperament (cranky babies)
Deficits in verbal skills (expressive and receptive speech, reading and writing development)
Executive deficits (planning behaviours, shifting attention, checking the plan)
Can be made worse with maladaptive home environments (e.g. harsh and unpredictable behaviour by parents, abusive, poor monitoring)
[Note: Biological parents may share neurological consequences compounding the effect]

12. Life Course Persistent
E.g. How these traits come together in ASB?
Verbal abilities
Verbal deficits may lead to the child acting out more because they cannot articulate their needs appropriately
Therefore, they elicit more negative feedback from caregivers
Difficult Temperment Problems forming close attachments
Happens early (first with parents)
And other relationships across the lifespan
Poor relationships (lack of empathy), choose antisocial mates
Executive Difficulties
Lead to decreased academic success due to inability to plan, impulsive, poor attention
Resulting in School failure, occupational failure, criminal behavior

13. Adolescence-Limited
Kids who associate with antisocial peers may mimic the behaviour
This behaviour is seen as cool initially, but as they age, the rewards are seen differently (not so rewarding)
They will then shift their behaviour more prosocial behaviour (they grow out of it)
Life-course persistent
Rare – 5%
Inflexible
Has biological roots
Environmentally influenced
Adolescence Limited
Common
Adaptive? Flexible
has sociocultural roots (requires an antisocial role model they can mimic)

14. Evidence for 2 paths
People who experience birth complications have higher rate of adult violent offending (Kandel & Mednick, 1991)
Twin studies (Taylor, 2000)
Early onset---life-course (MZ > DZ)
Late onset—adolescence limited (MZ approximately equal to DZ)
IQ Deficits
ASB ½ standard deviation below average IQ
PIQ > VIQ
Even after accounting for SES & family adversity is accounted for
Effortful attention (WISC-R ‘freedom from distraction’ is low for ASB
Inhibitory problems (Go/No-Go), Working memory deficits in ASB
Prefrontal cortex structural abnormalities