Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia Moderates the Relationship between Adolescent Deviant Talk and Externalizing Behaviors

This study examined the relations between adolescent friends’ deviant talk and their externalizing behaviors. Deviant talk was related to externalizing behaviors when friends provided high rates of positive responses. The friends’ deviant talk was associated with greater externalizing when the adolescent had low levels of resting parasympathetic nervous system activity.