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ELECTRODERMAL ACTIVITY
Sociologyindex, Sociology Books 2011
Electrodermal Activity is electrical activity of the sweat glands
in the skin. Tests of electrodermal activity have indicated correlation between skin
conductivity and tendency to delinquency, aggressiveness and recidivism.
Lie detectors or polygraph tests use electrical skin conductivity and heat rate to
measure responses to questions.
The influence of anxiety on electrodermal responses to distractors
Janick Naveteur, Stephanie Buisine, John H. Gruzelier
Abstract
Contrary to classical expectation, anxiety has been repeatedly observed to be associated
with reduced electrodermal activity. This could be the result of successful coping. In
line with this interpretation, high-trait anxious individuals performing moderately
arousing tasks were expected to manifest a reduced responding to distractors, since this
is an adaptive outcome. High- and low-trait anxious participants had to perform a visual
search task in a low-stress context.
Electrodermal Activity in Young Adults at Genetic Risk for Affective Disorder
Theodore P. Zahn, PhD; John I. Nurnberger, Jr, MD, PhD; Wade H. Berrettini, MD,
PhD
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1989;46(12):1120-1124.
Abstract
Low electrodermal activity has been proposed as a trait marker for affective disorder. We
attempted to determine if low electrodermal activity could be a genetic marker by testing
subjects at genetic risk for affective disorder. High-risk subjects, 22 offspring of a
parent with bipolar affective disorder, and 27 lowrisk controls 15 to 25 years old had
skin conductance recorded bilaterally during rest periods, presentation of 10 nonsignal
tones, and performance of reaction-time and mental arithmetic tasks. There were no
significant differences in skin conductance levels under any condition or in the frequency
or amplitude of orienting responses to nonsignal tones. During task periods high-risk
subjects showed significantly greater electrodermal activity that was lateralized to the
left hand. Self-rated depression was higher in the high-risk group during task periods.
The results show that low electrodermal activity is not a likely genetic marker for
affective disorder but suggest that autonomic hyperresponsivity, atypically lateralized
information processing, and depressive affect occur during mild stress in persons at risk
for the development of affective disorder.
Electrodermal activity and temperament in preschool children
DON C. FOWLES, GRAZYNA KOCHANSKA and KATHLEEN MURRAY
Abstract
This study had two objectives: To examine poorly understood patterns of young children's
electrodermal reactivity and to test the hypothesis that this reactivity reflects
individual differences in the behavioral inhibition system (BIS). We recorded skin
conductance responses (SCRs) from 92 4-year-old children during a laboratory session that
encompassed physiological and psychological stimuli. Physiological stimuli (breaths),
moderately loud to loud sounds (expected and unexpected) and, to a lesser extent, stimuli
with psychological significance elicited clear SCRs. Induction of psychological conflict
and exposure to emotional film clips for the most part did not elicit increases in skin
conductance (SC). Children's temperament dimensions of fearfulness and effortful (or
inhibitory) control—two components of the BIS—were assessed using robust
observational batteries at age 2 and 4 years. The theoretically expected correlations
between overall SC lability (reflecting SC levels) and both dimensions of temperament were
significant, albeit modest and limited to the contemporaneous measures at age 4.
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