Browse Exhibits (1 total)

Impulsivity is empirically associated with externalizing psychopathology such as substance use (Berg et al., 2015), antisociality (Whiteside et al., 2005), ADHD (Winstanley et al., 2006), and internalizing psychopathology such as fear and distress disorders (King et al., 2018), Borderline Personality Disorder and Bipolar Disorders (Henry et al., 2001). The widely used UPPS-P Model of Impulsivity suggests the construct of impulsivity reflects: Urgency (positive and negative), (lack of) Perseverance, (lack of) Premeditation, and Sensation-seeking (Lynam et al., 2007). Arguably the least well understood and most consequential facet of impulsivity is Urgency; the propensity to partake in rash action under the influence of intense positive or negative emotion (Whiteside & Lynam, 2001; Cyders & Smith, 2007). A key gap in our understanding of these mechanisms is if Positive and Negative Urgency are two separate constructs, or if they represent two variations of the same underlying mechanism. One way to evaluate if Urgency is one or two separate constructs is to see if individuals take different specific impulsive actions in the face of positive versus negative affect. As such, this study proposes the development of a scale to assess specific categories of behavior empirically associated with impulsivity. This study will gather one round of data, via Amazon’s Mechanical Turk, of participants’ level of trait impulsivity, the types of impulsive actions they have taken in the last 30 days (ranging in three levels of severity; mild, moderate, severe), and how problematic those actions were to their long-term goals.

Faculty Mentor: Thomas Holtgraves

Psychological Science

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