The Need to Incorporate Autonomic Arousal in Developmental and Life-Course Research and Theories

Abstract

Purpose Although there is an extensive body of research on the relationship between autonomic measures of physiological arousal and crime and delinquency, little effort has been made to incorporate autonomic arousal into criminological theories. This article examines the empirical literature on the associations between autonomic arousal and key constructs that are included in developmental and life-course theories, including temperament, cognition, life events, and family factors. Method For an illustrative approach, this article specifically focuses on two measures of physiological arousal, heart rate and skin conductance. Results Salient features of the literature include empirical findings that suggest that social factors can affect autonomic functioning and that autonomic arousal levels can contribute to individual differences in psychological risk factors for offending. Conclusions A biopsychosocial model is proposed to show how autonomic arousal can be incorporated into extant criminological theories. If autonomic measures of arousal are included in future developmental and life-course research, the explanation and prediction of offending will be increased.

Interactions Between Resting Heart Rate and Childhood Risk Factors in Predicting Convictions and Antisocial Personality Scores

“…More research is clearly needed on biopsychosocial interactions in criminology, and especially on the mechanisms and processes through which they have their effects. The present results show that biological variables should be measured more often in prospective longitudinal studies (Farrington, 2018) and should be included more often in developmental and life-course theories (Choy, Farrington, & Raine, 2015). Furthermore, knowledge about biopsychosocial interactions could be useful in increasing the effectiveness of criminological interventions; it is important to know what is likely to work with whom under what circumstances.…”

Biological explanations of criminal behavior

“…Both capture autonomic nervous system functioning; skin conductance reflects sympathetic nervous system functioning while heart rate reflects both sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system activity. Blunted autonomic functioning has been associated with increased antisocial behavior, including violence (Baker et al, 2009; Choy, Farrington, & Raine, 2015; Gao, Raine, Venables, Dawson, & Mednick, 2010; Portnoy & Farrington, 2015). Longitudinal studies have found low resting heart rate in adolescence to be associated with increased risk for criminality in adulthood (Latvala, Kuja-Halkola, Almqvist, Larsson, & Lichtenstein, 2015; Raine, Venables, & Williams, 1990).…”

“The beat of my heart”: the relationship between resting heart rate and psychopathy in a prospective longitudinal study

“…Low heart rate indicates low autonomic nervous system activation and provides information on the functioning of both the sympathetic and the parasympathetic nervous systems (Glenn and Raine, 2014). Choy et al (2015) suggested that common developmental and life course criminology perspectives should include biological and psychophysiological markers in explaining criminal behavior and delinquency. The study by Jennings et al (2013) is an example of research that has taken such a perspective, where they investigated the long-term outcomes of RHR measured at age 18.…”