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Are psychopathic children 'blind' to fearful, sad expressions?
Children with psychopathic tendencies have difficulty recognizing sadness and fear, according
to a new British study.
D. Stevens and colleagues studied nine children who exhibited symptoms of psychopathy, and
nine control children. Each child viewed sad, fearful, happy, and angry facial expressions, and
listened to voices expressing these emotions. "The children with psychopathic tendencies showed
selective impairments in the recognition of both sad and fearful facial expressions and sad vocal
tone," the researchers say. In contrast, they did not have difficulty recognizing happy or angry
expressions, or fearful, happy, and angry vocal tones.
The researchers suggest that the impairment of their psychopathic subjects may reflect early
dysfunction of the amygdala, a structure located within the temporal lobes of the brain. Previous
research indicates that individuals with amygdala damage due to strokes or viral infections have
difficulty identifying facial expressions of fear.
The findings of Stevens et al. correlate with an earlier study by British researchers (including
one member of Stevens' team). In that study last year, Derek Mitchell and James Blair showed
films of people expressing different emotions to psychopathic children and adults. Both young
and adult psychopaths had difficulty recognizing fearful expressions.
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"Recognition of emotion in facial expressions and vocal tones in children with psychopathic
tendencies," D. Stevens, T. Charman, and R. J. Blair, Journal of Genetic Psychology, Vol.
162, No. 2, June 2001, pp. 201-211. Address: D. Stevens, Department of Psychology,
University College of London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, England.
--and--
"Psychopaths find faces a mystery," BBC News, September 16, 2000.
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