Fear Conditioning Skin Conductance Response and Callous Unemotional Traits among Children

• In Event: Physiological Correlates of Conduct Problems and Applications to Treatment

Abstract

Previous studies have revealed an association between psychopathy and deficits in fear conditioning among adults but few have examined similar association among children. In addition, the physiological under-arousal hypothesis has been employed to understand both psychopathy and externalizing problems yet little is known whether any physiological index may be differentially associated with psychopathy and externalizing problems. This study aims to fill in these gaps and test whether and how callous unemotional traits (an important aspect of psychopathy) and externalizing problems are associated with skin conductance levels and responses in a fear conditioning task. This sample consisted of 446 community-recruited children (50% boys, 80% African Americans). Callous unemotional traits were assessed using the Antisocial Processes Screening Device and externalizing problems with the Child Behavior Checklist. Difference scores were computed to indicate conditioning response in which the amplitudes of skin conductance responses to the CS- were subtracted from those to the CS+. Skin conductance level was measured as the mean of the first second prior to and the last second of the task. Analysis is adjusted for age, sex, household income, and neighborhood characteristics. Preliminary results show that callous unemotional traits are negatively associated with the conditioning amplitude (β = -.15, p = .002), but not the skin conductance level. In contrast, externalizing problems are associated with the skin conductance level (β = -.12, p = .022), but not the conditioning amplitude. Full sample analysis will be presented and implications for etiological understanding of psychopathy and externalizing problems will be discussed.

Authors

• Frances R. Chen, University of Pennsylvania

• Adrian Raine, University of Pennsylvania

• Anna Rudo-Hutt, Westchester Jewish Community Services

• Yu Gao, Brooklyn College, City University of New York