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Show THE UNIVERSITY OF UTAH HONORS COLLEGE IMPULSIVITY CONSTRUCT AND MEASUREMENT REASSESSED Victoria Rowe (M. David Rudd) Department of Psychology University of Utah Impulsivity is a multi-faceted, complex construct in psychology. It is related to numerous DSM-IV diagnoses, including ADHD, substance abuse, impulse control disorder, a number of personality disorders, and bipolar disorders., Actually, it is one of the more c o m m o n symptoms found in the DSM-IV. The research question being explored is the accuracy of current conceptual models for the construct of impulsivity. Is impulsivity accurately captured by a single construct? Is impulsivity a multifactorial construct? If so, what are the identifiable factors? Given disagreement among clinicians and researchers, it is important to reassess what has already been found and create a more useful means to understand and measure this important construct. First, the various theories and systems of measurement will be summarized, accompanied by a review of current research about the biology underlying impulsivity. Next, possible criticisms concerning both these theories and their methods of measurement will be explored, namely that many of these measures are entangled with specific diagnoses rather than the construct itself. Lastly, the urge for a n e w system of measurement will be considered, under the proposal that biological factors, as well as core impulsive aspects including, attention, motor impulsivity, negative and positive urgency, and perseverance, will be measured distinctly. |
