Hostname: page-component-cd9895bd7-p9bg8 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-12-24T09:25:18.132Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Does Violence Have Cognitive Correlates?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 January 2018

G. Robertson ,
P. J. Taylor  and
J. C. Gunn
G. Robertson*
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry
P. J. Taylor
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry
J. C. Gunn
Affiliation:
Institute of Psychiatry
*
Institute of Psychiatry, De Crespigny Park, London SE5 8AF
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

The relationship between cognitive function and violence in 76 remanded prisoners, without formal psychiatric illness, was investigated. The violent group tended to be of slightly lower general ability than the non-violent group, but not abnormally so in relation to the general population; no relationship was found between specific patterns of cognitive functioning and violence. The violent group reported significantly higher levels of neurotic symptoms than the non-violent group, and were more socially deviant. To a small extent general intelligence (reasoning ability), in interaction with many other factors, may be related to a propensity for violent behaviour, but no particular aspect of cortical functioning seems to be related to violence.

Type
Papers
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 151 , Issue 1 , July 1987 , pp. 63 - 68
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Annett, M. (1970) A classification of hand preference by association analysis. British Journal of Psychology, 61, 303–321.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Asberg, M., Montgomery, S. A., Perms, C., Schelltng, D. & Sedvall, G. (1978) A comprehensive psychopathological rating scale. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 57, Sappl. 271, 5–27.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Benton, A. L. (1968) Differential behavioural effects in frontal lobe disease. Neuropsychologic, 6, 53–60.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Derogatis, L. R., Lipman, R. S. & Covi, L. (1973) An out-patient psychiatric rating scale. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 9, 13–28.Google Scholar
Faglioni, P., Scorn, G. & Spinnler, H. (1969) Impaired recognition of written letters following unilateral hemispheric damage. Cortex, 5, 120–133.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Fedora, O. & Fedora, S. (1983) Some neuropsychological and psychophysiological aspects of psychopathic and non-psychopathic criminals. In Laterality and Psychopathology (eds Flor-Henry, P. & Gruzelier, J.). Amsterdam: Elsevier.Google Scholar
Fenton, G. W., Tennent, T. G., Fenwick, P. B. C. & Rattray, N. (1974) The EEG in anti-social behaviour a study of posterior temporal slow activity in special hospital patients. Psychological Medicine., 4, 181–186.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Flor-Henry, P. (1973) Depression and Aggressive Homicidal Psychopathy: Evidence of Lateralized Neuropsychological Dysfunction. International Research Committee Symposium, 31.Google Scholar
Gorenstein, E. E. (1982) Frontal lobe function in psychopaths. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 91, 368–379.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gunn, J. & Robertson, G. (1976) Drawing a criminal profile. British Journal of Criminology, 16, 156–160.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hare, R. D. (1984) Performance of psychopaths on cognitive tasks related to frontal lobe function. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 93, 133–140.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Howard, R. C. (1984) The clinical EEG and mentally abnormal offenders. Psychological Medicine, 14, 569–580.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Kligman, D. & Goldberg, D. A. (1975) Temporal lobe epilepsy, and aggression. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 160, 324–341.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Krynicki, V. E. (1978) Cerebral dysfunction in repetitively assaultive adolescents. Journal of Nervous and Mental Diseases, 166, 59–67.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Schonell, F. J. & Schonell, F. E. (1965) Diagnostic and Attainment Testing. Edinburgh: Oliver and Boyd.Google Scholar
Spellacy, F. (1978) Neuropsychological discrimination between violent and non-violent men. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 34, 49–52.3.0.CO;2-0>CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Taylor, P. J., Dalton, R. & Fleminger, J. J. (1982) Handedness and schizophrenic symptoms. British Journal of Medical Psychology, 55, 287–291.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Warrington, E. K. & James, M. (1967) An experimental investigation of facial recognition in patients with unilateral cortical lesions. Cortex, 3, 317–328.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Wechsler, D. (1955) Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale. New York: The Psychological Corporation.Google Scholar
Yeudall, L. T., Fedora, O., Fedora, S. & Wardell, W. (1981) Neurological perspective on the assessment and etiology of persistent criminality. Australian Journal of Forensic Science, 13, 131–159.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.