Behavioral Inhibition System function as the mediator in the pathway from electrodermal fear conditioning to antisocial behavior: Integrating the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory

Abstract Poor fear conditioning skin conductance response (SCR) is associated with more antisocial behavior in childhood and in adulthood. However, the intermediate mechanism remains unclear. The current study proposes that the integration of the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) would help elucidate the mechanism. This is also the first study to examine the psychobiological characteristics of active offenders. I tested whether the Behavioral Inhibition System (BIS) of the RST mediated the relation between fear conditioning and antisocial behavior in a heterogeneous sample of active offenders, demographically matched controls and college students recruited in Central South Atlanta. Negative emotionality was included to examine the discriminant validity of BIS function in this proposed mediating pathway. Active offenders did not show fear conditioning SCR despite comparable response magnitudes as the demographic controls. Poor fear conditioning SCR was associated with low BIS function (but not negative emotionality), which was in turn associated with more antisocial behavior. The poor fear conditioning SCR observed in active offenders, reflects weak BIS function and low inhibitory response, suggested that active offenders were insensitive to punishment cues and more readily engaging in antisocial behavior.