Skin Conductance Recovery Time and Personality in a Group of Criminals

ABSTRACTThe half‐time measure of the recovery rate (rec t/2) of skin conductance (SC) responses to 93dB tone stimuli was obtained in a group of 25 male criminals. Rec t/2 of the response to the first (unexpected and thus presumably more aversive) tone was longer than the rec t/2 of the following 20 tones. The difference between these two rec t/2 measures was used as a “reactivity” estimate. The rec t/2 measures were negatively related to SC level and spontaneous fluctuations but unrelated to SC response measures. The issue of central process vs peripheral (hydration) interpretation of recovery time, raised by Bundy, was discussed on the basis of calculations on the present data, which did not appear to support the Bundy position.The rec t/2 was also studied in relation to self‐report personality variables related to socialization, impulsivity, empathy and neuroticism. Subjects with self‐report scores indicating lower socialization had a longer mean rec t/2 and lower rec t/2 “reactivity” than those higher in socialization. A similar trend was obtained for subjects with scores indicating high impulsivity.