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Executive cognitive functioning and the recognition of facial expressions of emotion in incarcerated violent offenders, non‐violent offenders, and controls
Author(s) -
Hoaken Peter N.S.,
Allaby David B.,
Earle Jeff
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
aggressive behavior
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.223
H-Index - 92
eISSN - 1098-2337
pISSN - 0096-140X
DOI - 10.1002/ab.20194
Subject(s) - psychology , aggression , affect (linguistics) , executive functions , cognition , poison control , facial expression , frontal lobe , developmental psychology , psychopathology , prefrontal cortex , cognitive psychology , clinical psychology , psychiatry , medicine , medical emergency , communication
Violence is a social problem that carries enormous costs; however, our understanding of its etiology is quite limited. A large body of research exists, which suggests a relationship between abnormalities of the frontal lobe and aggression; as a result, many researchers have implicated deficits in so‐called “executive function” as an antecedent to aggressive behaviour. Another possibility is that violence may be related to problems interpreting facial expressions of emotion, a deficit associated with many forms of psychopathology, and an ability linked to the prefrontal cortex. The current study investigated performance on measures of executive function and on a facial‐affect recognition task in 20 violent offenders, 20 non‐violent offenders, and 20 controls. In support of our hypotheses, both offender groups performed significantly more poorly on measures of executive function relative to controls. In addition, violent offenders were significantly poorer on the facial‐affect recognition task than either of the other two groups. Interestingly, scores on these measures were significantly correlated, with executive deficits associated with difficulties accurately interpreting facial affect. The implications of these results are discussed in terms of a broader understanding of violent behaviour. Aggr. Behav. 33:412–421, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.