SSSP2026: Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy Dallas Marriott Downtown Dallas, TX, United States, May 6-10, 2026 |
| Conference website | https://psychopathysociety.org/page/UpcomingConferences |
| Submission link | https://easychair.org/conferences/?conf=sssp2026 |
| Abstract registration deadline | November 14, 2025 |
| Submission deadline | November 14, 2025 |
Biennial Conference
May 6-9, 2026
The Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy (SSSP) invites submissions for the 11th biennial meeting that will be held in-person at the Dallas Marriott Downtown, Dallas, Texas, USA. The meeting will take place between May 6-9th, 2026.
The Executive Committee and 2026 Program Committee, co-chaired by Laura Drislane (co-chair) and Nick Thompson (co-chair), invite submissions from researchers at all career stages. We describe the submission criteria and reviewing procedures below. Please review this information carefully and adhere to the requirements to ensure smooth operation of the submission, review, and decision notification processes.
The submission portal will open on October 15th, 2025. The deadline for submissions is November 17th, 2025 (11:59 pm EDT/8:59 pm PDT/5:59 am CEST [November 18]/10:59 am ICT [November 18]). We are accepting submissions for posters, oral paper presentations, and themed symposiums. All submissions should be clearly related to empirical or theoretical issues pertinent to psychopathy.
Decision notifications will be sent by January 16th 2026.
Submission Guidelines
Eligibility
SSSP Full, Associate, Student, and Affiliate Members are eligible to present at the conference. Non-members can only present if the presentation is co-authored by a Full or Associate member. All attendees and presenters are required to register for the conference.
- Types of Presentations
- Symposium submissions are submitted by a moderator/discussant and include 3 to 4 related paper presentations.
- Single paper submissions are submitted by authors of one empirical or theoretical paper. The program committee will group single paper submissions into sessions. Depending on the number of submissions, authors may be asked to present in a poster session.
- Poster submissions are submitted by authors of one empirical or theoretical paper
SSSP traditionally accepts only one first-authored paper per person, unless the second paper is invited. Submission of a proposal implies a commitment to attend the conference and deliver the presentation if accepted.
- Required Materials for All Submissions:
For all submission
- Title of submission
- Name of each author and institution/organization
- Email address for each author
For symposia submissions
- The moderator/discussant should provide an abstract of up to 150 words that summarizes the symposium and their planned discussion points
- Each presenter should also provide an abstract of up to 250 words that describes the significance of the problem, study innovation, study methods, a summary of the main study findings, and the implications
- The moderator will compile all abstracts in a single Word or PDF file, which they will upload to the submission portal. Individual presenters do not need to submit their abstracts separately
For single paper submissions
- The presenter should provide an abstract of up to 250 words that describes the significance of the problem, study innovation, study methods, a summary of the main study findings, and the implications
For poster submissions
- The presenter should provide an abstract of up to 250 words that describes the significance of the problem, study innovation, study methods, a summary of the main study findings, and the implications
Reviewing Criteria
Our priorities for the 2026 program are lifespan and/or applied perspectives, as well as research studies that are methodologically rigorous and provide novel perspectives on the study of psychopathy.
Substantive focus:
- Papers that apply theoretical or empirical insights to practice (e.g., treatment, court assessments, police interrogation/ investigation, other forensic applications, etc.)
- Symposia or papers that include a broad range of ages/address lifespan trajectories of CU traits/psychopathy
- Symposia or papers that include multi-method approaches (e.g., psychometric, treatment/prevention, biological, developmental, experimental) or that address a range of theoretical perspectives
- Symposia or papers that include different sample types (e.g., forensic, community, high risk, child, adult)
Evaluation Criteria for Submissions:
- How well does the research advance our understanding of psychopathy or CU traits? Does it provide novel insights?
- How rigorous are the methods (e.g., valid, pre-registered, replicable, transparent)?
- How well does the topic fit with our areas of substantive focus?
Scores generated on the above criteria will be used to rank the best submissions. Then, from within the best submissions, we will balance the different types of research and perspectives to provide a diverse and broad conference program. Note that submissions that contain results (i.e., preliminary or final) will be prioritized.
Additional information
Blitz Talks
In addition to the submission types listed above, postdocs and students may be invited to present five-minute “Blitz talk” papers. “Blitz talks” will involve timed 3 minute presentations. Each period will be timed allowing for more presentations within a typical presentation talk. The program committee will select 10 meritorious submissions from paper or symposia categories that were not selected for traditional presentations and/or from the poster category. Thus, there is no need to submit for this type of talk, but if you submit any type of presentation, you will be able to indicate if you are interested in being considered for this format. All presenters of the Blitz talks will be requested to prepare a poster to supplement their 3 minute presentation.
Cheryl Wynne Hare Memorial Award
The Cheryl Wynne Hare Memorial Award will be awarded to the student (Master's, PhD, graduate) who presents the best poster at the conference. Students who wish to be considered for this award must indicate that when submitting their abstract. Requirements for applying for the Cheryl Wynne Hare Memorial Award include that the student must be the first author of the submission and only completed studies can be submitted for this award. Posters being considered for the Cheryl Wynne Hare Memorial Award are presented on the first day of the conference. Students submitting for this award must attend this poster session and be available to discuss their work with the Award Committee and other members. In evaluating the submission, the Award Committee will consider both the poster and the discussion with the applicant.
Please note, that you will need to indicate if you are eligible for the Cheryl Wynn Hare Memorial Award at time of abstract submission.
Questions may be directed to:
programsssp2026@gmail.com
Program Committee
Laura Drislane (Co-chair)
Nick Thomspon (Co-chair)
Emily Kemp
Ruth Pauli
Leo Bobadilla
Phil Deming
Nicholas Bellamy
SSSP Biennial Meeting Practical information
The 11th biennial meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy will be held at the Dallas Marriott Downtown, Dallas, TX and will take place on May 6-10, 2026. We very much look forward to the SSSP community coming together for our first meeting in Texas!
Conference Venue:
Dallas Marriott Downtown
650 N Pearl St
Dallas, TX 75201
Tel: +1 214-979-9000
Hotel website: Dallas Marriott Downtown
Conference Organizer:
EasyChair
https://easychair.org/conferences?conf=sssp2026
We look forward to having you join us in Dallas!
www.psychopathysociety.org | The Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy