Electrodermal reactivity in an aversive countdown task: Concurrent and prospective relations with triarchic psychopathy traits and antisocial behavior outcomes in a child-aged sample

Our finding of an inverse relationship between SC reactivity and parent-rated boldness at W1 corroborates evidence from prior adult research and points to low fear (threat sensitivity) as the basis of deficient stress responding in psychopathy. The finding of contrasting predictive relations for W1 SC reactivity and W1 parent-rated boldness with ASB at W3 suggests differing roles for elements of threat sensitivity tapped by each (e.g., low anxiousness versus social dominance) in nonaggressive versus aggressive forms of ASB. Our findings highlight the nuances of dispositional fearlessness as construct of relevance to psychopathy and suggest important avenues for future research.