DOI: 10.5061/dryad.90791
title: Data from: Perceiving the evil eye: investigating hostile interpretation of ambiguous facial emotional expression in violent and non-violent offenders

description: Research into the causal and perpetuating factors influencing aggression
 has partly focused on the general tendency of aggression-prone individuals
 to infer hostile intent in others, even in ambiguous circumstances. This
 is referred to as the 'hostile interpretation bias'. Whether
 this hostile interpretation bias also exists in basal information
 processing, such as perception of facial emotion, is not yet known,
 especially with respect to the perception of ambiguous expressions. In
 addition, little is known about how this potential bias in facial emotion
 perception is related to specific characteristics of aggression. In the
 present study, conducted in a penitentiary setting with detained male
 adults, we investigated if violent offenders (n = 71) show a stronger
 tendency to interpret ambiguous facial expressions on a computer task as
 angry rather than happy, compared to non-violent offenders (n = 14) and to
 a control group of healthy volunteers (n = 32). We also investigated if
 hostile perception of facial expressions is related to specific
 characteristics of aggression, such as proactive and reactive aggression.
 No clear statistical evidence was found that violent offenders perceived
 facial emotional expressions as more angry than non-violent offenders or
 healthy volunteers. A regression analysis in the violent offender group
 showed that only age and a self-report measure of hostility predicted
 outcome on the emotion perception task. Other traits, such as psychopathic
 traits, intelligence, attention and a tendency to jump to conclusions were
 not associated with interpretation of anger in facial emotional
 expressions. We discuss the possible impact of the study design and
 population studied on our results, as well as implications for future
 studies.
description: 2017.10.23 Perceiving
 Evil Eye Data SheetIn this observational
 study, conducted in a penitentiary setting in the Netherlands with
 detained male adults, we investigated if violent offenders (n = 71) show a
 stronger tendency to interpret ambiguous facial expressions on a computer
 task as angry rather than happy, compared to non-violent offenders (n =
 14) and to a control group of healthy volunteers (n = 32). We also
 investigated if hostile perception of facial expressions is associated
 with specific characteristics of aggression, such as proactive and
 reactive aggression, based on multiple self-report questionnaires
 (Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire, Reactive-Proactive Aggression
 Qurestionnaire) and behavioural observations (Social Dysfunction and
 Aggression Scale - SDAS, rated once a week over a period of 4 weeks).
 Other relevant variables, such as psychopathic traits (Psychopathic
 Personality Inventory-revised), intelligence (Raven Standard Progressive
 Matrices), attention (Trail Makint Test-A/B) and a tendency to jump to
 conclusions (beads-in-a-jar task) were also assessed. The study protocol
 was not published online. Participants completed a neuropsychological test
 battery, of which the threshold score of the emotion perception task was
 the primary outcome measure. The threshold score of the emotion perception
 task is scored so that lower scores reflect a tendency to rate the faces
 as angry, while higher scores reflect a tendency to rate the faces as
 happy. The data dictionary defines the contents of the data sheet
 comprehensively. The data set comprises group, age-categories, data on the
 above mentioned questionnaires and neuropsychological tests (including
 threshold score). Conviction data were not included in the data file to
 ensure anonymity of the participants. The deposit includes the following
 files: Data Dictionary Data Sheet Data files and data dictionary can be
 opened in Excel or SPSS software.2017.10.23 Perceiving
 Evil Eye Data DictionaryThis files shows all
 data descriptions