False-Positives in Psychopathy Assessment: Proposing Theory-Driven Exclusion Criteria in Research Sampling

Recent debates in psychopathy studies have articulated concerns about false-positives in assessment and research sampling. These are pressing concerns for research progress, since scientific quality depends on sample quality, that is, if we wish to study psychopathy we must be certain that the individuals we study are, in fact, psychopaths. Thus, if conventional assessment tools yield substantial false-positives, this would explain why central research is laden with discrepancies and nonreplicable findings. This paper draws on moral psychology in order to develop tentative theory-driven exclusion criteria applicable in research sampling. Implementing standardized procedures to discriminate between research participants has the potential to yield more homogenous and discrete samples, a vital prerequisite for research progress in etiology, epidemiology, and treatment strategies

3-D Contextual Bayesian Classifiers

In this paper we will consider extensions of a series of Bayesian 2-D contextual classification pocedures proposed by Owen [1], Hjort & Mohn [2] and Welch & Salter [3] and Haslett [4] to 3 spatial dimensions. It is evident that compared to classical pixelwise classification further information can be obtained by taking into account the spatial structure of image data. The 2-D algorithms mentioned above consist of basing the classification of a pixel on the simultaneous distribution of the values of a pixel and its four nearest neighbours. This includes the specification of a Gaussian distribution for the pixel values as well as a prior distribution for the configuration of class variables within the cross that is made of a pixel and its four nearest neighbours. We will extend these algorithms to 3-D, i.e. we will specify a simultaneous Gaussian distribution for a pixel and its 6 nearest 3-D neighbours, and generalise the class variable configuration distributions within the 3-D cross g..

From Affective Science to Psychiatric Disorder: Ontology as Semantic Bridge

Advances in emotion and affective science have yet to translate routinely into psychiatric research and practice. This is unfortunate since emotion and affect are fundamental components of many psychiatric conditions. Rectifying this lack of interdisciplinary integration could thus be a potential avenue for improving psychiatric diagnosis and treatment. In this contribution, we propose and discuss an ontological framework for explicitly capturing the complex interrelations between affective entities and psychiatric disorders, in order to facilitate mapping and integration between affective science and psychiatric diagnostics. We build on and enhance the categorisation of emotion, affect and mood within the previously developed Emotion Ontology, and that of psychiatric disorders in the Mental Disease Ontology. This effort further draws on developments in formal ontology regarding the distinction between normal and abnormal in order to formalize the interconnections. This operational semantic framework is relevant for applications including clarifying psychiatric diagnostic categories, clinical information systems, and the integration and translation of research results across disciplines