Questions about Empathy Quotient test and Sociopaths

Post Reply New Topic

I am curious as to if anyone knows what sociopaths (true Antisocial Personality Disorders) would score on the Empathy Quotient test?
I would think they'd be able to manipulate the test to score what they perceive would "fit in". I have read that they can manipulate to score.

Also, would a Sociopath (Antisocial Personality Disorder) have Theory of Mind?

If anyone can help with the answers, thank you in advance =)

Well most people would be able to manipulate those tests if they really wanted to, but if a psychopath would answer honestly this test the score would be lower than average.



So far I understand the concept: "yes".

There is a very interesting "sociopath":
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vx8RxRn6dWU[/youtube]

Self-report tests are no longer used in prisons precisely because the subjects know they are being evaluated and will try to game the system.

Sociopaths have theory of mind. They are brilliant con artists, and you need theory of mind to manipulate people. This faculty is somewhat harmed by the fact they do not have deep emotions like us, but then again everyone is different and everyone stumbles. Normal people in particular stumble a lot with psychopaths, which is why they are so brilliant at deception.

Sociopaths probably respond less to emotions of others. The problem is this goes for autistic people too. I think the major difference is that sociopaths have lower impulse control and lower activity in prefrontal cortex as well as lower activity in the temporal lobes.

I think one sure way is to scan brain of the psychopath. That way you can see his heres brain processing.

I disagree here. Sociopaths do respond less to the emotions of others, but they have no problem detecting those emotions. Autistic people, on the other hand, have a problem detecting those emotions--but once they detect them they respond to the same degree that most people do. Autistics also may communicate in atypical ways, and so their responses may not be as detectable to observers. But the response is there--it's just the incoming information and the outgoing communication that is getting lost in transmission. It is something like the way a blind person does not respond to eye contact nor use it correctly.

She explains psychopathy (also in children) very well.
She also explains the differences in ASD and psychopathy very quick.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vX_FPzyZdxI[/youtube]