Differences in executive functioning between violent and non-violent offenders.
Psychol Med
; 47(10): 1784-1793, 2017 Jul.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28173890
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND:
A growing body of neuropsychological and neurobiological research shows a relationship between functioning of the prefrontal cortex and criminal and violent behaviour. The prefrontal cortex is crucial for executive functions such as inhibition, attention, working memory, set-shifting and planning. A deficit in these functions - a prefrontal deficit - may result in antisocial, impulsive or even aggressive behaviour. While several meta-analyses show large effect sizes for the relationship between a prefrontal deficit, executive dysfunction and criminality, there are few studies investigating differences in executive functions between violent and non-violent offenders. Considering the relevance of identifying risk factors for violent offending, the current study explores whether a distinction between violent and non-violent offenders can be made using an extensive neuropsychological test battery.METHOD:
Male remand prisoners (N = 130) in Penitentiary Institution Amsterdam Over-Amstel were administered an extensive neuropsychological test battery (Cambridge Automated Neuropsychological Test Battery; CANTAB) measuring response inhibition, planning, attention, set-shifting, working memory and impulsivity/reward sensitivity.RESULTS:
Violent offenders performed significantly worse on the stop-signal task (partial correlation r = 0.205, p = 0.024), a task measuring response inhibition. No further differences were found between violent and non-violent offenders. Explorative analyses revealed a significant relationship between recidivism and planning (partial correlation r = -0.209, p = 0.016).CONCLUSION:
Violent offenders show worse response inhibition compared to non-violent offenders, suggesting a more pronounced prefrontal deficit in violent offenders than in non-violent offenders.Palabras clave
Texto completo:
1
Banco de datos:
MEDLINE
Asunto principal:
Violencia
/
Corteza Prefrontal
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Función Ejecutiva
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Criminales
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Inhibición Psicológica
Tipo de estudio:
Prognostic_studies
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Risk_factors_studies
Límite:
Adult
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Humans
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Male
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Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Año:
2017
Tipo del documento:
Article