Examination of intelligence as a compensatory factor in non-criminal psychopathy in a non-incarcerated sample

The main goal of the current study was to evaluate intelligence as a compensatory factor in the expression of non-criminal psychopathy. This hypothesis was empirically tested in a moderation framework. Undergraduate students (n = 372) completed the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised, Shipley-2, and Antisocial Behavior Questionnaire. Results from zero-inflated Poisson regression models indicated that intelligence (particularly verbal intelligence) moderated the relationship between psychopathy and criminality, such that those higher on both psychopathy and intelligence had engaged in less criminal behavior. These findings provide preliminary evidence for the hypothesis that intelligence serves as a compensatory factor for non-criminal psychopathy.