PSC 101 Lecture Notes - Lecture 11: Dna Methyltransferase, Sympathetic Nervous System, Frontal Lobe
Document Summary
Psc 101 lecture 11 psychopathic aggression and emotion. Characterized by low empathy, emotional shallowness, and lack of guilt. Antisocial and inflexible behavior is also common. In adults, reduced sympathetic nervous system activity has been linked to psychopathy. A study was conducted with prison population, based on case file participants rated as demonstrating psychopathic tendencies or not, skin conductance recorded during a fear conditioning task. Refers to similarities in patterns of brain activity between regions. Assumption is that brain regions with similar activity patterns are likely to be communicating or sharing information. Psychopaths have reduced functional connectivity between amygdala and prefrontal cortex. Consistent with observations that psychopathy linked to deficits in emotional learning. Pro: origin of behavior is the brain, so understanding of mechanism may provide new insights for treatment. Con: focusing on biological mechanisms draws attention away from important environmental factors such as poverty or abuse.
