ELECTRODERMAL ACTIVITY OF UNDERSOCIALIZED AGGRESSIVE CHILDREN: A PILOT STUDY

Abstract
Electrodermal activity of 11 children with conduct disorder (CD) and 11 normal children were compared during periods of rest, moderate tone and loud bell stimulation. The CD group was best differentiated from controls by lower reactivity to the first bell, while on tonic measures they showed normal values. The electrodermal profile of the CD children thus resembled that of adult sociopaths on phasic measures only. The possibility of using electrodermal measures for predicting outcome and for differential diagnosis is raised.