Emotion Recognition Training in Antisocial Violent Offenders With Psychopathic Traits

University Hospital Tuebingen

Status: Unknown

Conditions: Psychopathy; Emotional Problem; Violent Aggressive Behavior

Treatments: Behavioral: SEE Training; Behavioral: GAZE Training

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT03382808

SCHO 1448/3-1

Details and patient eligibility

About

Impaired recognition of affective facial expressions has been conclusively linked to antisocial and psychopathy. However, little is known about the modifiability of this deficit. This study aims to investigate whether and under which circumstances the proposed perceptual insensitivity can be addressed with a brief implicit training approach.

Enrollment: 80 estimated patients

Sex: Male

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Confirmed ASPD diagnosis
• PCL-Score available
• arrested for committing violent crimes

Exclusion criteria

• Insufficient knowledge of the German language
• Diagnosed with schizophrenia
• Substance abuse
• Neurological disease (e.g. epilepsy)
• Mental retardation

Trial design

Primary purpose: Treatment

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Double Blind

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80 participants in 2 patient groups

SEE Training

Experimental group

Description:

The training sequence comprises four weekly sessions using a modified dote-probe paradigm (fearful vs. neutral expression).

Treatment:

Behavioral: SEE Training

GAZE Training

Active Comparator group

Description:

The GAZE training sequence comprises four weekly sessions using a modified dote-probe paradigm (averted vs. directed gaze).

Treatment:

Behavioral: GAZE Training