Semester

Spring

Date of Graduation

2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Type

MS

College

Eberly College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Committee Chair

Shari Steinman

Committee Member

Kevin Larkin

Committee Member

Amy Gentzler

Abstract

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) is a destructive and severe mental illness that costs the U.S. trillions of dollars annually. Although ASPD is significantly correlated with acts of aggression, violence, and imprisonment, not all individuals with ASPD are aggressive. In samples without ASPD, increased aggression has been linked to an error in social information processing, which is referred to as hostile attribution bias (HAB).

The current study tested the extent to which HABs, or the tendency to attribute hostility to neutral or ambiguous stimuli, predicted aggression above and beyond ASPD traits in participants with a history of incarceration. Participants (N = 76) were recruited through West Virginia’s Division of Probation Services and Reddit. Measures assessing demographics, ASPD traits, aggression, and HABs were completed via Qualtrics. It was hypothesized that HAB scores would predict aggression over and beyond ASPD traits. Analyses revealed that HABs significantly predicted aggression beyond ASPD traits when measured via a personality disorder assessment but not when measured via a psychopathic personality assessment. Further, HABs significantly predicted reactive, but not proactive, aggression beyond ASPD traits when measured via a personality disorder assessment. Results suggest that HAB is a significant predictor of aggression and could be a potential target for interventions.

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