RT Article
T1 Psychopathy and Perception of Vulnerability to Criminal Victimization
JF Journal of interpersonal violence
VO 36
IS 11/12
SP 5318
OP 5333
A1 Dinkins, Barbara Joyce
A2 Jones, Shayne
LA English
YR 2021
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/1760354163
AB This study replicates and extends prior research indicating that individuals with elevated psychopathic traits are better able to identify vulnerability to criminal victimization. Specifically, the current study aims to further assess this finding, examine if criminal experience aids in the assessment in vulnerability to criminal victimization, and determine if the finding generalizes to females and non-Caucasians. Through an online survey, participants (undergraduate students; n = 247) viewed several videos of people walking alone down a hallway and subsequently rated the vulnerability to criminal victimization of the depicted person. Higher levels of psychopathic traits (measured by the Elemental Psychopathy Assessment) correlated with more accurate assessments of vulnerability when males were assessing videos of males of their same race. Prior criminal behavior, however, did not relate to better accuracy, despite its relation to psychopathic traits. Results for females were not consistent with findings for males, indicating the finding may not generalize across gender. The current findings suggest one mechanism that might explain why those with elevated psychopathic traits are more likely to offend is that they are adept at identifying vulnerability. However, this was only true for males of the same race as the “victim.”
K1 Gender
K1 Race
K1 Personality
K1 vulnerability to criminal victimization
K1 victim selection
DO 10.1177/0886260518805762