Exploring the comprehensive assessment of psychopathic personality (CAPP) model of psychopathy: Nomological network, generalizability, scope and new directions

The Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality Disorder (CAPP) is a recently developed conceptual model of psychopathy that has sustained operationalization in numerous modalities (e.g. self-report, institutional ratings). The purpose of this dissertation was to provide an in-depth exploration of the model by situating it in the field via extension of the nomological network, exploring its generalizability across diverse groups, and increasing the scope of research via the introduction of an adapted measure designed to decrease linguistic load for participants. In Study 1, I provide the first examination of the convergence between the CAPP and TriPM in a non-normative sample, drawing attention to theoretical considerations for the field. In Study 2, I assess the performance, psychometric properties and test adequacy of the CAPP Lexical Rating Scale (CAPP-LRS) across gender and ethnicity. Study 3 introduces the CAPP-Basic, a lexically modified version of the CAPP-LRS, designed for use with populations possessing lower levels of reading ability. Study 4 builds on initial validation data from Study 3 to determine the content validity of the CAPP-Basic using prototypicality analysis. Together, the results of this body of work provide a comprehensive evaluation of the CAPP model, and introduce areas in need of further study.