Evaluating the validity of brief prototype‐based informant ratings of triarchic psychopathy traits in prisoners

Abstract

The validity of self‐report psychopathy assessment has been questioned, especially in forensic settings where clinical evaluations influence critical decision‐making (e.g., institutional placement, parole eligibility). Informant‐based assessment offers a potentially valuable supplement to self‐report but is challenging to acquire in under‐resourced forensic contexts. The current study evaluated, within an incarcerated sample (n = 322), the extent to which brief prototype‐based informant ratings of psychopathic traits as described by the triarchic model (boldness, meanness, disinhibition; Patrick et al., 2009) converge with self‐report trait scores and show incremental validity in predicting criterion measures. Self/informant convergence was robust for traits of boldness and disinhibition, but weaker for meanness. Informant‐rated traits showed incremental predictive validity over self‐report traits, both within and across assessment domains. These findings indicate that simple prototype‐based informant ratings of the triarchic traits can provide a useful supplement to self‐report in assessing psychopathy within forensic‐clinical settings.

Document Details

Document Type
Pub Defense Publication
Publication Date
Oct 01, 2021
Source ID
10.1002/bsl.2542

Entities

People

  • Christopher J. Patrick
  • Claudio Sica
  • Emily R Perkins
  • Gioia Bottesi
  • Kelsey L. Lowman
  • Maria Caruso
  • Paolo Giulini

Organizations

  • Department of Health and Social Care
  • Florida State University
  • National Institute of Mental Health
  • United States Army
  • University of Padua

Tags

Fields of Study

  • Psychology

Readers

  • Criminal Law
  • Materials Science.
  • Psychometric Testing or Psychological Assessment.