Electrodermal and Cardiovascular Evidence of a Coping Response in Psychopaths

Hare (1978) has suggested that psychopaths may possess particularly effective coping mechanisms in the presence of impending aversive stimulation. These mechanisms may serve to attenuate anxiety so that the psychopath's behavior is less easily controlled by aversive consequences. To test this hypothesis, the heart rate (HR) and skin conductance level (SCL) of psychopaths and nonpsychopaths were compared across two countdown tasks. In Tasks 1, subjects heard a 120-db. tone following the countdown. In Task 2, subjects prevented the tone externally by pressing a button immediately following the countdown. The typical response pattern of psychopaths was present in Task 1, where they demonstrated increases in HR but relatively no increase in SCL. This response pattern dissipated, however, in Task 2 when the need to “cope” internally was removed. These results confirm the hypothesis that psychopaths may employ an effective coping response in anticipation of aversive stimuli.