Some Games Can Help Psychopaths Empathize, Study Suggests

[Administrator]

A study has observed that a group of clinically diagnosed psychopaths exhibited improved behavior after playing a video game that attempted to teach them empathy.
According to Yale University's press team, which has summarized the findings from one of its psychologists, games can help feed helpful information to psychopaths that they tend to naturally overlook.
"Psychopaths generally do not feel fear and fail to consider the emotions of others, or reflect upon their behavior--traits that make them notoriously difficult to treat," the university's press team claims.
But a potential breakthrough in future treatment could lie in a computer game that is designed to train people to consider stimuli not related to their goals.
The study of this game and its effects, which was conducted by Yale psychologist Arielle Baskin-Sommers, shows that imprisoned psychopaths who played it showed an "improved ability to exhibit emotional responses."
Such results could form the basis of treatment for incarcerated psychopaths, of which a separate study found that about 70 percent reoffend once their imprisonment ends.
"Treatments for individuals with antisocial behavior, such as such psychopaths, are woefully inadequate," Baskin-Sommers wrote.
"Hopefully, findings such as ours will lead to more efficient interventions for our most recalcitrant prisoners."
Yet the report finds that there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Baskin-Sommers claims that "when the same computer games were used with prisoners with other forms of antisocial behavior, these non-psychopathic inmates' behaviors worsened."
However, when these non-psychopathic inmates played different games that aimed to treat their own specific brain dysfunctions, their behavior also improved, indicating the importance of a targeted approach.
This study has not yet been scrutinized or supported by further research at other academic institutions.
Got a news tip or want to contact us directly? Email news@gamespot.com


More...