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Psychophysiological differentiation between psychopathic and schizophrenic abnormal offenders*

DOI

16

Citations

0

References

1980

Year

John Hinten, Michael O'Neill, Sheila Hamilton, Myles Burke
British Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology

Abstract

This paper is a follow-up of research by Schalling (1978), Mednick (1975), Mednick & Hutchings (1978), Venables (1975) and a pilot study on the psychophysiological response characteristics of maximum security patients, Hinton & O'Neill (1976, 1978). In line with hypotheses, patients rated as 'disoriented' by nurses and diagnosed 'schizophrenic', tended to have increased spontaneous electrodermal fluctuations and reduced orienting response recovery time relative to non-'disoriented' and diagnosed 'psychopaths'. Also low rate spontaneous fluctuation in skin resistance plus long skin resistance ORt/2 differentiated 'high public risk' psychopaths from 'low risk' domestic offenders.