Complexity Digest 2008.99 - 11.01

23-Nov-2009

Psychology: Investigating The Psychopathic Mind, Science Bookmark and Share

Excerpts: At age 38, Kiehl is embarking on a project he hopes will unravel the neural basis of psychopathy, a suite of personality and behavioral traits that is far more common in violent criminals than in the general population and is a strong predictor of repeat offenses. Given the crime and other societal costs caused by psychopathic individuals, Kiehl says, this group has been woefully understudied. He intends to change that. With a custom-built mobile magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner--roughly $2.3 million of equipment packed into a 15-meter-long trailer--and permission from the New Mexico governor to work in all 12 state prisons, Kiehl aims to scan 1000 inmates a year.