Invited essay Methodological advances and developments in the assessment of psychopathy

The last decade has witnessed a number of signi®cant methodological advances and developments in the assessment of psychopathy. The Psychopathy ChecklistÐRevised and the two-factor model of psychopathy have facilitated the assessment of psychopathy and clari®ed the di€erential correlates of the personalityand behavior-based operationalizations of this syndrome. Although preliminary evidence suggests that certain features of psychopathy may be underpinned by a latent taxon, the categorical versus dimensional status of psychopathy requires clari®cation. Researchers have accorded increasing attention to the assessment of psychopathy in non-criminal samples, although the construct of subclinical psychopathy remains controversial. Other recent methodological developments include: (a) the extension of the Five-Factor Model and other higher-order personality taxonomies to psychopathy; (b) development of a Q-sort methodology to permit the assessment of psychopathy by observers; (c) standardized assessment of psychopaths' interpersonal behaviors; (d) assessment of psychopathy in children; and (e) examination of gender, ethnic, and cross-cultural di€erences in psychopathy. # 1998 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.