Exploring Skin Conductance Across Tasks: Insights into Impulsive and Premeditated Aggression

• In Event: Advancing Methodological Approaches to Biopsychosocial Research

Abstract

The inconsistency in findings across autonomic arousal studies is often attributed to variations in study methodologies, including differences in physiological measures, task characteristics, and elicited emotions. To address this gap, our study aims to elucidate the relationship between impulsive aggression and premeditated aggression by investigating their associations with skin conductance (SC) across various task conditions. These conditions include resting, stress reactivity, reward response, and fear conditioning, providing a comprehensive exploration of physiological arousal patterns associated with distinct forms of aggression. Our sample comprises 117 adult males from a diverse urban population in the US. Participants completed the Impulsive-Premeditated Aggression Scale (IPAS) to assess aggressive behaviors over the past six months. Initial findings reveal negative correlations between impulsive aggression and all SC measures, indicating potential dampened physiological reactivity across task conditions. Conversely, premeditated aggression demonstrates associations solely with overall SC levels, suggesting a broader physiological response pattern. Findings underscore the significance of accounting for task-specific physiological responses when investigating the nuanced nature of aggression subtype and advance our understanding of the complex interplay between physiological arousal and aggressive behavior.

Authors

• Montana Kaitlyn Nowak, Georgia State University

• Frances Chen, Georgia State University