Investigation of Psychophysiological Correlation of Aggression and Response to Aversive Stimuli

This study investigates the psychophysiological correlations of aggression and response to aversive stimuli in a population of 133 children clinically diagnosed with conduct disorder (CD) and/or attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). Data was gathered about participants' level of aggression through the Reactive-Proactive Aggression Questionnaire (RPQ). The stimuli that were presented to the participants included 1) a loud sound, 2) threatening photographs from the International Affective Picture System (IAPS), and 3) the Trier Social Stress Task (TSST). Participants' psychophysiological features of heart rate and galvanic skin conductance were measured and analyzed in relation to their RPQ scores and clinical diagnosis.