Related Experiment Video
Updated: Aug 2, 2026

Measuring Cardiac Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) Activity in Toddlers - Resting and Developmental Challenges
Published on: February 25, 2016
High autonomic arousal and electrodermal orienting at age 15 years as protective factors against criminal behavior at
A Raine1, P H Venables, M Williams
1Department of Psychology, University of York, England.
Objective:
Nothing is known about biological factors that protect a predisposed individual from becoming criminal. This 14-year prospective study tested the hypothesis that antisocial adolescents who desist from crime by age 29 have greater physiological arousal and orienting than antisocial adolescents who become adult criminals.
Method:
Physiological arousal and orienting were measured in 101 unselected 15-year-old male schoolchildren. Of these, 17 antisocial adolescents who desisted from adult crime (desistors) were matched on adolescent antisocial behavior and demographic variables with 17 antisocial adolescents who became criminal by age 29 (criminals), and 17 nonantisocial, noncriminal normal subjects.
Results:
Desistors had significantly higher electrodermal and cardiovascular arousal and higher electrodermal orienting than the criminal group.
Conclusions:
This is the first study to report biological factors that protect against the development of criminal behavior. The findings suggest that individuals predisposed to adult crime by virtue of showing antisocial behavior in adolescence may be protected from committing crime by high levels of autonomic arousal and orienting.
Related Concept Videos
Self-Evaluation: Self-Enhancement and Self-Verification
Optimal Arousal Theory
Inverted U-Shaped Performance Curve
The...
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Antisocial Personality Disorder
Behavioral Characteristics and...
Conduct Disorder
Causes of Social Behavior III: Biological and Environmental Influences

