Etiology of Triarchic Psychopathy Dimensions in Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes)

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articleResearchpeer-review

  • Robert D. Latzman
  • Christopher J. Patrick
  • Hani D. Freeman
  • Steven J. Schapiro
  • William D. Hopkins

The current study undertook analyses of genealogical data from a sample of 178 socially housed chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) with well-documented pedigrees to clarify the etiologic bases of triarchic psychopathy dimensions and the influence of early social rearing experiences. Whereas biometric analyses for the full sample indicated significant heritability for the boldness dimension of psychopathy only, heritability estimates varied by early rearing, with all three triarchic dimensions showing significant heritabilities among mother-reared but not nursery-reared apes. For mother-reared apes, both genes and environment contributed to covariance between meanness and disinhibition, whereas environment contributed mainly to covariation between these dimensions and boldness. Results indicate contributions of both genes and environment to psychopathic tendencies, with an important role for early rearing in their relative contributions to distinct phenotypic subdimensions. In conjunction with findings from human studies, results provide valuable insights into core biobehavioral processes relevant to psychological illness and health.

Original languageEnglish
JournalClinical Psychological Science
Volume5
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)341-354
Number of pages14
ISSN2167-7026
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Mar 2017

    Research areas

  • chimpanzees, early rearing, heritability, nonhuman primate models, psychopathic personality

ID: 197005747