THE MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY WAS USED TO SEPARATE THE STUDENTS INTO HIGH AND LOW PSYCHOPATHIC DEVIATE (PD) GROUPS. SKIN RESISTANCE CHANGES WERE THEN USED AS AN INDICATOR OF FEAR AROUSAL CAUSED BY PASSING AN ELECTRIC SHOCK THROUGH ELECTRODES ATTACHED TO THE SUBJECTS' FINGERTIPS. THE SUBJECTS WERE SEATED IN FRONT OF A MEMORY DRUM ON WHICH THE NUMBERS 1 THROUGH 12 ROTATED IN A CONSTANTLY REPEATED SEQUENCE. INFORMED THAT THEY WOULD BE SHOCKED WHEN THE NUMBER 8 APPEARED IN THE DRUM WINDOW, THE STUDENTS WERE FIRST SUBJECTED TO TRIAL RUNS WITHOUT SHOCKS, FOLLOWED BY SEVERAL RUNS WITH SHOCKS AT A PREDETERMINED THRESHOLD OF TOLERANCE. THE RESULTS INDICATED THAT AS SHOCK BECAME IMMINENT, THE INCREASE IN CONDUCTANCE WAS GREATER, MORE RAPID, AND BEGAN EARLIER FOR THE LOW PDS THAN FOR THE HIGH PDS. TO THE EXTENT THAT RAISED PD SCORES AND SKIN CONDUCTANCE CHANGES CAN BE CONSIDERED TO BE INDICANTS OF PSYCHOPATHY AND FEAR AROUSAL, RESPECTIVELY, THESE RESULTS PROVIDE EVIDENCE THAT PSYCHOPATHIC AND NONPSYCHOPATHIC INDIVIDUALS REACT DIFFERENTLY TO IMPENDING PUNISHMENT. GRAPHIC DATA AND REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (KBL)