Further evidence of the heterogeneous nature of impulsivity. (April 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Caswell, Amy J.; Bond, Rod; Duka, Theodora; Morgan, Michael J.
• Is Part Of: Personality and individual differences. Volume 76(2015)
• Page Start: 68
• Page End: 74
• Publication Date: 2015-04
• Subjects: RI reflection-impulsivity -- MI motor-impulsivity -- TI temporal-impulsivity -- ISTfw Information Sampling Task (fixed win condition) -- ISTrc Information Sampling Task (reward conflict condition) -- MFF20 Matching Familiar Figures Task -- DDT Delay Discounting Task -- MCQ Monetary Choice Questionnaire -- SKIP Single Key Impulsivity Paradigm -- SST Stop Signal Task -- BIS-11 Barratt Impulsiveness Scale -- GNG Go/NoGo Task -- IMT Immediate Memory Task -- TCIP Two Choice Impulsivity Paradigm; Impulsivity -- Laboratory measures -- Factor analysis -- Reflection impulsivity -- Motor impulsivity -- Inhibitory control -- Temporal impulsivity -- Human; Personality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Individuality -- Periodicals; Personality Development -- Periodicals; Personnalité -- Périodiques; Individualité -- Périodiques; 155.205
• DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2014.11.059
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0191-8869

Abstract

Highlights: Impulsivity is not a unitary construct and instead comprises dissociable subtypes. Reflection-impulsivity is a distinct and well-defined facet of impulsivity. Additional characterisations of motor-impulsivity are required. Several tasks purported to index impulsivity should be treated with caution. Researchers should employ multiple measures of types of impulsivity simultaneously. Abstract: 'Impulsivity' refers to a range of behaviours including preference for immediate reward (temporal-impulsivity) and the tendency to make premature decisions (reflection-impulsivity) and responses (motor-impulsivity). The current study aimed to examine how different behavioural and self-report measurements of impulsivity can be categorised into distinct subtypes. Exploratory factor analysis using full information maximum likelihood was conducted on 10 behavioural and 1 self-report measure of impulsivity. Four factors of impulsivity were indicated, with Factor 1 having a high loading of the Stop Signal Task, which measures motor-impulsivity, factor 2 representing reflection-impulsivity with loadings of the Information Sampling Task and Matching Familiar Figures Task, factor 3 representing the Immediate Memory Task, and finally factor 4 which represents the Delay Discounting Questionnaire and The Monetary Choice Questionnaire, measurements of temporal-impulsivity. These findings indicated that impulsivity is not a unitary construct, and instead represents a series of independent subtypes. There was evidence of a distinct reflection-impulsivity factor, providing the first factor analysis support for this subtype. There was also support for additional factors of motor- and temporal-impulsivity. The present findings indicated that a number of currently accepted tasks cannot be considered as indexing motor- and temporal-impulsivity suggesting that additional characterisations of impulsivity may be required.