title: Exploring the Relationship between Psychopathy and Helping Behaviors in Naturalistic Settings: Preliminary Findings.
abstract: This study examined the helping behavior of participants with high (High-P; 15 males, 13 females) and low (Low-P; 14 males, 16 females) psychopathic traits without their awareness. In the first of three tests, we found Low-P participants offered more help to an apparently lost female confederate than High-P participants. In the second test, High-P compared to Low-P males offered more help to an "injured" female experimenter, the reverse was true for females. In the third test, High-P compared to Low-P females offered more help to a female confederate who had apparently dropped papers they were carrying; whereas the reverse was true for males. Our preliminary findings indicate that context, gender and psychopathic traits interact and impact helping behavior.
authors.affiliation: a Macquarie University.
authors.forename: Mehmet K
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Mahmut
authors.affiliation: a Macquarie University.
authors.forename: Louise
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Cridland
authors.affiliation: a Macquarie University.
authors.forename: Richard J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Stevenson
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005260:Female; D006379:Helping Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007206:Individuality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D012931:Social Environment; D013334:Students / Q000523:psychology; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Individual differences; observational methods; personality; prosocial behaviour