Electrodermal hyporeactivity and antisocial behavior: does anxiety mediate the relationship?

Electrodermal hyporeactivity in the anticipation of aversive stimuli is a highly reliable correlate of diagnosed psychopathy and undersocialized aggressive conduct disorder (UACD), and it has been interpreted as reflecting a weak behavioral inhibition system (BIS) as conceptualized in Gray’s work (e.g., in: Royce, J.R. (Ed.), Multivariate Analysis and Psychological Theory. Academic Press, New York, NY, p. 409, 1973). This interpretation predicts that electrodermal hyporeactivity should be associated with a single dimension of temperament involving both low anxiety and behavioral disinhibition. However, temperament scales identify separate dimensions of trait anxiety/neuroticism and inhibitory control, and most investigators have assumed that the BIS is associated with the trait anxiety/neuroticism dimension. The present review supports the view that electrodermal hyporeactivity is associated with both low anxiety and disinhibition, as expected, and, possibly, with poor control of emotional expression. Additionally, electrodermal hyporeactivity appears to relate to an impulsivity dimension among psychopaths rather than to the core personality features of psychopathy. Recent findings raise the possibility that psychopaths suffer from a broader deficit (sometimes described as an executive function deficit) than a weak BIS and that electrodermal hyporeactivity might relate to this broader deficit. It is proposed that problems with impulsivity are more strongly documented than the broader concept of executive function deficits and that a primary disinhibition can produce secondary executive function deficits. A disinhibitory deficit is consistent with the weak BIS hypothesis. Overall, the results appear to be consistent with the electrodermal hyporeactivity-weak BIS hypothesis, but many issues remain to be resolved.