1. What conclusions can we infer from this?
Last lesson we looked at a piece of research by ______ which had been reviewed by ______
What was the original writers explanation for differences in IQ scores? How did our core study researcher change this?
What conclusions can we infer from this?

2. HANCOCK (2011) LANGUAGE OF PSYCHOPATHS
What words can you think of to describe a psychopath?
Selfish orientation
HANCOCK (2011) LANGUAGE OF PSYCHOPATHS
Can use workbook when going through slide
Little conscience
In simplest form: a person suffering from chronic mental disorder with abnormal or violent social behaviour
Profound emotional deficit

3. Theories on which study is based:
Language communicates directly an individual’s thoughts to another person
Words can reveal significant insights about psychological functioning
Underlying cognitive and emotional processes can be revealed through subtle patterns in word choice
There has been little examination of the speech associated with psychopaths who comprise about 1% of the general population

4. Previous research
Williamson (1993) found psychopaths are more likely to use contradictory, logically inconsistent statements, than non psychopaths
AIM: To see whether traits of psychopaths could be found in their speech

5. Hancock (2011)
The researchers examined the language characteristics of psychopaths (in describing their violent crimes) on three major characteristics:

6. 1. Instrumental nature
As psychopaths appear to view the world and others instrumentally as they are talking, Hancock et al. were interested in seeing if this would be reflected in their speech in the form of subordinating junctions (eg. because, since, as, so that). These are words associated with cause and effect statements It can be suggested offenders whose crimes are premeditated and motivated by the achievement of an external goal, are open to the use of case and effect explanatory language

7. 2. Their unique material and socio-emotional needs
It seems to be the case that satisfying ones basic physiological and material needs (eg food, sex and shelter) matters more to psychopaths than the need for higher level needs (meaningful relationships, spirituality, self-esteem).
Hancock et al. were interested in seeing whether their narratives about their crimes would contain more references to food, drink, clothing, sex and resources (money) and fewer references reflecting high level needs such as love, family and spirituality.

8. 3. Their emotional deficit
Psychopaths exhibit a generalised deficit in their ability to experience emotions themselves and to recognise the emotions that other people are feeling.
Hancock et all. Hypothesised that this emotional deficit might lead psychopaths to…
Produce fewer and less emotional words
Produce more disfluenceies (‘uh’, ‘um’) reflecting the increased cognitive load being placed on them by the challenge of describing what happened in a manner that appears appropriate
Use of language that reflects psychological ‘distancing’ from and a lack of personal responsibility for the crime, such as a high rate of past tense verbs, fewer present tense verbs, and a high rate of articles (‘a’, ‘the’) in line with more use of concrete nouns.

9. “My exposure to pornography and alcohol reduced my inhibitions, allowing me to be involved in the situations I have been. I know people will accuse me of being self-serving, but through God’s help, I have came to the point umm, much too late, where I can feel the hurt and the pain I am responsible for. During the past few days, myself and a number of investigators have been talking about unsolved cases - murders I was involved in. It’s hard to talk about all these years later, because it revives all the terrible feelings and thoughts that I have steadfastly and diligently dealt with - I think successfully. It has been reopened umm and I had felt the pain and the horror of that.”

10. Method: How many? How did they gather the sample? Gender? From where?
(16%) first degree
(64%) second degree
(20%) manslaughter
How did they gather the sample?
Gender?
From where?
Volunteer sample
Murderers (first degree, second degree and manslaughter)
From Canada
52 males
Who were the sample?

11. Before we continue…
I want you to think about these two questions throughout
Are all murderers psychopaths?
Are all psychopaths murderers?

12. Psychopathy Measured using self-report ‘Psychopathy Checklist’
Do you have a grand sense of self-worth?
Are you a pathological liar?
Are you conning or manipulative?
Do you display a lack of remorse or guilt?
Found 14 to be psychopaths and 38 to be non-psychopaths
Groups were matched on type of murder and age (Psychopaths mean age ; control mean age 39.1) and amount of time since homicide was committed (psychopaths mean = years, Controls = 9.82)
This means the experimental design is ___________

13. Interviews lasted around 25 minutes and were recorded
After groups were made, ppts were interviewed. At the beginning of the interview, the purpose of the study (to examine the manner in which homicide offenders recall their homicide offence) and the procedure were verbally explained
Ppts were asked to describe their offences in as much detail as possible
Interviews lasted around 25 minutes and were recorded
Two senior psychology graduate students and one research assistant conducted the interviews and they were unaware of the psychopathy scores of the offenders
Is this good or bad?

14. Results: Difference in number of words spoken was not significant
Aim 1
Difference in number of words spoken was not significant
Psychopaths produced more words that are subordinating conjunctions, such as: because, since, as, so that
 Psychopaths also used approximately twice as many words relating to basic physiological needs such as food, drink, sex and money when describing their crime
Non-psychopaths used significantly more language relating to social needs, including family, religion and spirituality
Aim 2

15. Degree of detachment from crime
Examined through use of past and present verbs…
Psychopaths…
Used more past tense verbs (stabbed rather than stab)
Produced a higher rate of articles (‘a’ and ‘the’) than controls, showing a greater use of concrete nouns (material objects). 
Language was significantly less fluent
No significant differences in the emotional content of language between the two groups in relation to pleasantness, intensity or imagery
Language was less positive and less emotionally intense.
Aim 1
Aim 3

16. Conclusions Psychopaths are more likely to…
Describe cause and effect relationships when describing their murder
Linguistically frame crime as more in past and more psychologically distant
View crime as logical outcome of plan and focus more on physiological needs than higher level social needs
Operate on a primitive but rational level
Describe crimes with low emotional intensity and use less emotionally pleasant language

17. Quiz Describe the sample used in Hancock et al.
Outline the procedure of the Hancock et al. study
What are the three characteristics Hancock et al. looked at when analysing the language of Psychopaths?
Outline one conclusion per characteristic
52 males who all volunteered to take part from Canadian prison. All ppts had committed murder (either 1st degree, 2nd degree or manslaughter)
Ppts were asked to describe their offences in as much detail as possible
Interviews lasted around 25 minutes and were recorded
1) Instrumental nature. 2) Their unique material and socio-emotional needs. 3) Emotional deficit.
1) More cause-and-effect language. 2) Reference to food, sex and alcohol as reasoning behind crime. 3) Less positive. Past tense (distancing self)

18. Exam 2: Practical Application Questions
“People say, a picture says a thousand words. In today’s society, in Texas, teachers are being encouraged to pay even closer attention to students work. More specifically, on the words chosen. According to researchers in 2016, the words an individual choses when telling a story tells us much, much more than we could ever have imagined.”
Outline the psychological issue [3]
Link to psychological research [3]
Identify solution to issue [6]
Evaluate solution [6]

19. Research method Type of data Ethical considerations Validity Reliability Sampling bias Practical applications Ethnocentrism

20. Explain one difference between the Hancock and Gould study [3]

21. Explain one similarity between the Hancock and Gould study [3]

22. Outline how the Hancock study falls under the area in which it does [3]

23. What was the aim of the study by Hancock et al [2]
Describe the research method used by Hancock et al [4]
Evaluate the research method used in Hancock [6]
From the study by Hancock et al, describe what is meant by the term psychopath [2]
Describe the sample used in Hancock at el [3]
Identify two findings from Hancock [2]
Outline one explanation Hancock gave for one of these findings [2]
Suggest one problem with the way the data was interpreted in Hancock [2]
Outline one conclusion from the Hancock study [2]
Describe the purpose of one control used in Hancock [2]
Describe how the level of psychopathy was measured prior to the collection of data in Hancock [3]
Outline one way Hancock can be considered to be high in validity [2]
Outline one way Hancock can be considered to be low in validity [2]
Outline one way in which the Hancock study could be considered ethical [2]
Explain one difference between the Hancock and Gould study [3]
Explain one similarity between the Hancock and Gould study [3]
Outline how the Hancock study falls under the area in which it does [3]