The DOI matches its Crossref record; 34 of the 34 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Low cortisol levels and the balance between punishment sensitivity and reward dependency
Abstract
The neuro-endocrinological basis of psychopathy, a disorder characterized by lack of fear, is relatively unknown. However, low levels of cortisol may result in fearlessness and have been observed in individuals with psychopathic tendencies. Low fear models state that psychopaths are not motivated to avoid punishment, especially when reward is pending. In agreement, disadvantageous decision making on the IOWA gambling task in psychopaths and psychopathic analogous, indicates low punishment sensitivity and high reward dependency. Here, it was investigated whether low basal cortisol levels predicted the balance between punishment sensitivity and reward dependency in the same manner. As hypothesized, the most disadvantageous pattern of decision making was found in the subjects with the lowest cortisol levels. These findings suggest that low levels of cortisol may set the balance between the sensitivity for punishment and reward dependency towards a pre-disposition for psychopathy.
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“While these findings point to more risky decision-making under stress, which may translate to higher delay discounting, high basal cortisol levels have actually been associated with less risky behavior on the Iowa Gambling Task (van Honk et al., 2003), as well as with lower delay discounting rates (Takahashi, 2004).”
From Individual Differences in Delay Discounting Under Acute Stress: The Role of Trait Perceived Stress (2012) · cites this paper as van Honk et al., 2003
In the citing paper
“HPA functioning has also been linked to risk-taking behavior in standardized laboratory tasks (e.g., Lighthall et al., 2009; van den Bos et al., 2009; van Honk, 2003)”
From The Adaptive Calibration Model of stress responsivity (2011) · cites this paper as van Honk, 2003
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Metadata
- Authors
- Honk, J. V., Schutter, D. J. L. G., Hermans, E. J., & Putman, P.
- Affiliations
- Utrecht University (NL)
- Venue
- NeuroReport
- Published
- 2003-10
- Volume
- 14
- Issue
- 15
- Pages
- 1993-1996
- ISSN
- 0959-4965 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W2093934127
- Cited by
- 127
- References
- 33
- Citations by year
- 2026: 4 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 1 · 2022: 2 · 2021: 3 · 2020: 4 · 2019: 5 · 2018: 8 · 2017: 9 · 2016: 5 · 2015: 7 · 2014: 9 · 2013: 7 · 2012: 12
- FWCI
- 6.20
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- closed
- Locations
- Neuroreport (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cognitive Neuroscience › Neural and Behavioral Psychology Studies
- Life Sciences › Neuroscience › Cellular and Molecular Neuroscience › Neurotransmitter Receptor Influence on Behavior
- Keywords
- cortisol, psychopathy, punishment sensitivity, fearlessness, Iowa Gambling Task, risk aversion, decision-making, neuroendocrinology
- MeSH terms
- Adult, Circadian Rhythm, Conditioning, Operant, Decision Making, Female, Gambling, Humans, Hydrocortisone, Male, Motivation, Psychopathology, Punishment, Reward
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