title: Evidence for deficits in reward responsivity in antisocial youth with callous-unemotional traits.
abstract: This study investigated reward responsivity in youth with high levels of callous-unemotional (CU) traits using a cross-sectional design. Whereas deficits in responding to punishment cues are well established in youth with CU traits, it is unclear whether responsivity to rewarding stimuli is impaired as well. Participants were 148 predominantly Caucasian, adjudicated adolescents between the ages of 11 and 17 (M = 15.1, SD = 1.4) who completed the Balloon Analogue Risk Task as part of a larger battery investigating aggression and social information processing. A Reward Responsivity variable was created to capture changes in participants' responding after receiving a reward. A hierarchical regression analysis indicated that higher levels of CU traits significantly predicted less reward responsivity, above and beyond gender, sensation seeking, and impulsivity. Results support Blair's (2004) Integrated Emotion Systems model that proposes individuals with CU traits are impaired in their responsivity to both appetitive and aversive stimuli.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT 05405-1764, USA.
authors.forename: Victoria A
authors.initials: VA
authors.lastname: Marini
authors.forename: Timothy R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Stickle
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003463:Cues; D056348:Emotional Intelligence; D004644:Emotions; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior; D008297:Male; D008960:Models, Psychological; D009042:Motivation; D010552:Personality Assessment; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011678:Punishment; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012201:Reward; D012309:Risk-Taking