Sex differences in electrodermal activity in wakefulness of a different level

Abstract

Electrodermal activity or skin galvanic response (changes in skin electrical resistance [1-3]) is one of the best-known electrophysiological phenomena widely used in psychophysiological studies and practice. This activity can be differentiated into a tonic component with the time constant of several minutes and a phasic electrodermal reaction (EDR) with the time constant of several seconds. The latter is associated with an orienting reflex and appears either in response to a stimulus or without evident stimulation (nonspecific or spontaneous EDRs). However, after the reliability of electrodermal indices was questioned [4], they are less frequently used. Many studies have reported the presence of sex differences in some electrodermal parameters [5-15], but some others found no such differences [ 16-18]. This discrepancy can be explained by differences in both analyzed indices and experimental procedures [3].