Emotional memory for central and peripheral details in children with callous-unemotional traits

Jill Thijssen, Henry Otgaar, Ewout H. Meijer, Tom Smeets, Corine de Ruiter

Research output: Contribution to journalArticleScientificpeer-review

5 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

A limited number of studies have shown that adults and adolescents with psychopathic traits suffer from emotional memory impairment. The present study examined whether this finding could be replicated in a sample of children between 8 and 12 years of age with callous‐unemotional (CU) traits. Children with high CU traits (n = 24) were compared with children with low CU traits (n = 18) with regard to performance on a peripheral memory recognition test that examined memory for central and peripheral components of neutral and negative pictures. Results showed that overall recognition rates did not differ between the high‐ and low‐CU groups. For negative pictures, both groups demonstrated better recognition of the central component at the expense of the peripheral component, while for neutral pictures, the peripheral component was better recognized than the central component. This study is the first to demonstrate that children with high CU traits do not suffer from an impaired emotional memory.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)506-515
JournalBehavioral Sciences & the Law
Volume30
Issue number4
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2012
Externally publishedYes

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