A new study found that people who scored high in certain psychopathic traits are more likely to limit head movements.
- Researchers have long noted that psychopathic individuals display certain behaviors during nonverbal communication, including the so-called psychopathic stare.
- The study analyzed video interviews with 507 inmates, using tracking algorithms to measure head movements.
- Inmates who scored high in antisocial traits — a facet of psychopathy — tended to keep their heads still.
Could you spot a psychopath by observing only their physical behavior? While an official diagnosis would be impossible, psychopaths do exhibit some telltale behaviors during nonverbal communication.
One is the psychopathic stare. Dr. Robert Hare, the Canadian psychologist who developed the commonly used Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-Revised), described it as “intense eye contact and piercing eyes,” advising people not to make eye contact with psychopaths. Studies have documented that psychopaths’ pupils do not dilate when viewing scary or graphic images and that they tend to hold gazes uncomfortably long — especially when engaging in deception or persuasion.
A new study published in the Journal of Research in Personality offers new insights into the psychopathic stare, finding that inmates who scored high in psychopathic traits tended not to move their heads much during forensic interviews. It is a finding that may be connected to the neurological underpinnings of the condition.
Tracking psychopathic head movements
The study used AI to analyze videotaped interviews with 507 male inmates in New Mexico. During each interview, which lasted between one and four hours, the inmate sat directly across from an interviewer and a camera that was outfitted with tracking algorithms to record head movements.
Inmates also completed the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), which measures interpersonal, affective, lifestyle, and developmental and antisocial traits related to psychopathy. In the U.S., people who score at least 30 out of 40 are generally classified as psychopathic. The inmates’ scores ranged from 3.2 to 37, with a mean of 20.35.
The results showed that inmates who scored high in psychopathy were more likely to hold their heads still during the interviews. But while the correlation between psychopathy and stationary head movements was statistically significant and robust, it was only observed for one aspect — called facet 4 on the PCL-R — of psychopathy: developmental and antisocial traits, which include aggression, impulsiveness, and criminal behavior.(Source:BigThink)
