Impulsivity

Question 1

What is this?

Answer 1

Behaviour that is performed with little or inadequate fore-thought

Question 2

What are the sub-types of behavioural impulsivity?

Answer 2

Motor impulsivity - inability to inhibit actions
Inability to delay gratification
Reflection impulsivity - inability to reflect before making a decision

Question 3

How can you measure impulsivity?

Answer 3

Self-report measures- questionnaires

eyesnck impulsiveness questionnaire or barratt impulsiveness scale

Question 4

What is the matching familiar figures test measuring?

Answer 4

Reflection subtype

Question 5

What is the matching familiar figures test?

Answer 5

Used to measure reflective processing during childhood - have to match images together
performance of healthy children was distributed:
impulsives - responded rapidly - less than 10 seconds - but made frequent errors
reflectives - responded slowly (30-40 seconds) but with high accuracy
People who take drugs are more impulsive in this test

Question 6

What is the link with impulsivity and addiction?

Answer 6

Chronic substance use is associated with elevated scores on measures of impulsivity - all substances
In animals: impulsive animals self-administer drugs more than the non-impulsive ones

Question 7

What has Moeller et al shown?

Answer 7

If high impulsive (scoring highly on BIS) = drop out of study really quick, don’t carry on with treatment for cocaine abuse

Low on BIS = remain in the study more

Question 8

Does impulsivity predispose later substance abuse?

Answer 8

Field et al (2013) investigated relationships between performance on several behavioural impulsivity tasks (delay discounting, risk-taking and disinhibition) and alcohol use, drunkenness and related problems in adolescents
Performance on all impulsivity tasks predicted alcohol involvement 6 months later.
Importantly, the converse relationship across time was not observed: alcohol involvement did not predict future behavioural impulsivity performance

Question 9

Do we use drugs because our prefrontal cortex isn’t working?

Answer 9

Not sure, could be either way

Question 10

What do all addictive drugs do?

Answer 10

Have reinforcing effects

Stimulate the release of dopamine in the NA and then changes occur in VTA and striatum

Question 11

What does the inhibitory mechanism of PFC do?

Answer 11

Promotes resistance to addiction - don’t want to become addicted

Question 12

Why are adolescence more vulnerable?

Answer 12

Because they have underdeveloped PFC