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The sociobiology of sociopathy: An alternative hypothesis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 February 2004

Wim E. Crusio*
Affiliation:
Brudnick Neuropsychiatric Research Institute, Department of Psychiatry, University of Massachusetts Medical School, Worcester, MA01604

Abstract:

Mealey argued that sociopathy is an evolutionary stable strategy subject to frequency-dependent selection – high levels of sociopathy being advantageous to the individual if population-wide frequencies of it are low, and vice versa. I argue that at least one alternative hypothesis exists that explains her data equally well. Alternative hypotheses must be formulated and tested before any theory can be validated.

Type
Continuing Commentary
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2004

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