Risk-taking behavior and response inhibition of commuter motorcyclists with different levels of impulsivity

The purposes of this study were to identify the relationships between the risk-taking behavior, response inhibition, and risky motorcycle riding behavior of commuter motorcyclists with different levels of impulsivity, and to examine how these behaviors contribute to motorcycle accidents. A total of 255 Chinese commuter motorcyclists were recruited for this study. Their levels of impulsivity were classified according to the Chinese Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11th. Their risk-taking behavior was assessed by the Balloon Analogue Risk Task and their response inhibition was assessed by the Chinese version of the Stroop test Victoria version. The Chinese Motorcycle Rider Driving Violation Scale was used to assess risky motorcycle riding behaviors. Results showed that impulsivity was associated with risk-taking behavior and risky motorcycle riding. Highly impulsive motorcyclists carry out more risk-taking behaviors and are less able to inhibit responses than those with low impulsivity. Motorcyclists with medium impulsivity (OR, 4.74; 95% CI, 1.91–11.39) and those with high impulsivity (OR, 4.91; 95% CI, 2.34–10.24) were about 5 times more likely to be actively involved in motorcycle accidents than those with low impulsivity. Postlicense motorcycle riding experience and risky motorcycle riding behavior were two significant predictors of motorcycle traffic accidents after controlling for other sociodemographic variables. These results can facilitate the development of interventions, including the training and testing of motorcyclists, public education, and mass media messages about traffic risk.     

Spanish adaptation of Dickman's impulsivity inventory: its relationship to Eysenck's personality questionnaire

We used exploratory factor analysis to determine the factorial structure of the Spanish adaptation of Dickman's impulsivity inventory in a sample of 355 university students. Our results showed the two impulsivity factors, functional and dysfunctional, described by Dickman (1990). We applied consensus direct oblimin rotation to the Spanish, American and Dutch versions of the inventory and obtained a high congruence between the three factorial solutions which seems to suggest that they are quite stable across languages and populations. Both kinds of impulsivity showed relationships to the extraversion and psychoticism dimensions of the EPQ-R although extraversion was more related to functional impulsivity and psychoticism was more related to dysfunctional impulsivity.     

A French adaptation of the internal and external encoding style questionnaire and its relationships with impulsivity

Recent research has revealed the existence of individual differences in how preexisting schemata (versus cues from the outside world) affect encoding processes, which can be reliably assessed with the internal and external encoding style questionnaire (ESQ) [Lewicki, P. Internal and External Encoding Style and Social Motivation. In: J. P. Forgas, K. D. Williams, S. M. Laham, (Eds.), Social Motivation: Conscious and Unconscious Processes. Psychology Press, New York (2005). pp. 194–209]. The present study was designed to (1) test the psychometric properties of a French version of the ESQ and (2) explore in-depth its relationship with impulsivity – a trait of central importance in the understanding of emotional psychopathology, and which has been previously related to the internal encoding style. Sixty-three participants were tested using the French versions of the ESQ and the UPPS impulsive behavior scale. The UPPS identifies four distinct facets of impulsivity: urgency, lack of premeditation, lack of perseverance, and sensation seeking. The results showed (1) that the French version of the ESQ has good psychometric properties and (2) that consistent with theoretical considerations, internal encoding style is related to two specific out of the four components of impulsivity: high urgency and low perseverance.     

Psychometric characteristics of the Italian Clinical Depression Questionnaire using a 5-point rating scale with undergraduates

The aim was to investigate the psychometric properties of a proposed experimental version of the 1979 Italian adaptation of the Clinical Depression Questionnaire (Krug & Laughlin, 1976). This version is composed of an increased number of choice alternatives (5 instead of 3), tested with 240 Italian undergraduates. An exploratory item-factor analysis yielded one factor, which accounted for 28.2% of the variance. Analysis of the relationship between this version and an experimental one in 2002 of the 1979 Italian edition of the Anxiety Scale Questionnaire showed the corrective factor was not effective in increasing the discriminative power of the questionnaire for anxiety.     

Visual perception and visual mental imagery of emotional faces generate similar expression aftereffects

What is the relationship between visual perception and visual mental imagery of emotional faces? We investigated this question using a within-emotion perceptual adaptation paradigm in which adaptation to a strong version of an expression was paired with a test face displaying a weak version of the same emotion category. We predicted that within-emotion adaptation to perception and imagery of expressions would generate similar aftereffects, biasing perception of weak emotional test faces toward a more neutral value. Our findings confirmed this prediction. Adaptation to mental images yielded aftereffects that inhibited emotion recognition of test expressions, as participants were less accurate at recognising these stimuli compared to baseline. While the same inhibitory effect was observed when expressions were visually perceived, the size of the aftereffects was greater for perception than imagery. These findings suggest the existence of expression-selective neural mechanisms that subserve both visual perception and visual mental imagery of emotional faces.     

Assessing indirect aggression in aggressors and targets: Spanish adaptation of the Indirect Aggression Scales

In recent years, there has been increasing interest in indirect aggression as the most common aggressive behaviour in adulthood. Despite this interest, there are not a great many instruments for measuring this behaviour in adults. The aim of our study was to develop the Spanish adaptation of one of the few instruments that does exist: the Indirect Aggression Scale, in its aggressor and target versions. The analysis of these scales in a sample of 935 university students showed that the aggressor and target versions of the scales had good reliabilities, but that a one-factor structure seemed more feasible than the three-factor structure initially proposed. Taking this one-dimensionality, we developed short versions of the scales, which also showed good reliabilities. The aggressor version presented good convergent validity with direct aggression and impulsivity measures. Finally, none of the scales showed differences associated with sex.     

Impulsive for life? The nature of long-term impulsivity in domestic dogs

Individual differences in impulsivity occur at a cognitive and/or behavioural level and are associated with differing life outcomes. However, there is a lack of empirical evidence to support the long-term stability of these characteristics in non-human animals. This study reports on the stability of convergent measures of impulsivity in domestic dogs assessed more than 6 years apart. Measures were (1) owner assessment by means of a questionnaire, the validated ‘Dog Impulsivity Assessment Scale’ (DIAS) and (2) dogs’ performance in a delayed reward choice test. Dogs had 15-min free access to two food dispensers, one dispensing a piece of food immediately, the other dispensing three pieces after a delay, which increased by 1 s every other time the dogs sampled it. Maximum delay reached in this task reflects decision-making, or cognitive impulsivity, whereas the rate of extra presses on the delayed reward device during the delay can be considered as a measure of motor or behavioural impulsivity. DIAS scores were strongly and significantly correlated across years. The maximum delay reached in the behaviour test was also highly stable, whereas paw-pressing rate was uncorrelated between the years. These results demonstrate that cognitive but not motor impulsivity is highly consistent over time in dogs.     

Does impulsivity relate to perceived dependence on and actual use of the mobile phone?

Several authors have studied the risks arising from the growth in mobile phone use (e.g. large debts incurred by young people, banned or dangerous use of cellular phones). The aim of this study is to analyse whether impulsivity, which has often been related to various forms of addictive behaviours, is associated with massive use of and dependence on the mobile phone. In this study, 108 female undergraduate psychology students were screened using a questionnaire evaluating actual use of and perceived dependence on the mobile phone, and with the French adaptation of the UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scale. This scale identifies four distinct components associated with impulsive behaviour: Urgency, lack of Premeditation, lack of Perseverance, and Sensation Seeking. The results showed that a relationship can be established between the use of and perceived dependence on the cellular phone and two facets of impulsivity: Urgency and lack of Perseverance. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

German version of the Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire – Appearance Scales (MBSRQ-AS): Confirmatory factor analysis and validation

The Multidimensional Body-Self Relations Questionnaire (MBSRQ) is a widely used questionnaire that measures body image as a multidimensional construct. The Appearance Scales (AS) of the MBSRQ (Appearance Evaluation, Appearance Orientation, Body Areas Satisfaction, Overweight Preoccupation and Self-Classified Weight) are subscales which facilitate a parsimonious assessment of appearance-related aspects of body image. The current study tested the psychometric properties and factor structure of a German translation of the MBSRQ-AS. Participants were n = 230 female patients with the SCID diagnosis of an eating disorder and n = 293 female healthy controls. In a confirmatory factor analysis, convincing goodness-of-fit indices emerged. The subscales of the questionnaire yielded good reliability and convergent and discriminant validity coefficients, with most items showing excellent characteristics. Like the English version, the German adaptation of the questionnaire can be recommended for a multidimensional assessment of appearance-related aspects of body image in both research and clinical practice.     

Adaptation of panic-related psychopathology measures to Russian

The study reports results of adaptation of panic-related psychopathology measures to Russian, including the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI), the Agoraphobic Cognitions Questionnaire (ACQ), and the Mobility Inventory for Agoraphobia (MIA). Psychometric properties (e.g., reliability, factor structure, endorsement) and external validity of the adaptations were evaluated in a representative sample of Moscow residents (N = 390) and Ukrainian undergraduates (N = 492). The adapted ASI was generally equivalent to the original English-language version. The ACQ showed structural equivalency but did not exhibit expected specificity to panic. Finally, the MIA displayed notable structural discrepancies but had external validity comparable to the original.     

Evaluating evidence of psychological adaptation: how do we know one when we see one?

Evolutionary psychologists argue that human nature contains many discrete psychological adaptations. Each adaptation is theorized to have been functional in humans' ancestral past, and empirical evidence that an attribute is an adaptation can come from showing it possesses complexity, efficiency, universality, and other features of special design. In this article, we present a tutorial review of the evidentiary forms that evolutionary psychologists commonly use to document the existence of human adaptations. We also present a heuristic framework for integrating and evaluating cross-disciplinary evidence of adaptation. Pregnancy sickness, incest avoidance, men's desires for multiple sex partners, and an easily learned fear of snakes are evaluated as possible human adaptations using this framework. We conclude that future research and teaching in evolutionary psychology would benefit from more fully utilizing cross-disciplinary frameworks to evaluate evidence of human adaptation.     

Short Spanish version of Team Climate Inventory (TCI-14): development and psychometric properties

The aim of the present paper was to develop a Spanish adaptation of the reduced, 14-item version of the Team Climate Inventory (TCI-14), a questionnaire developed to evaluate team climate. To this end the English version was adapted and applied to a sample of 360 employees from Castilla-León and Catalonia (44.4% men and 55.6% women). The results indicated that the TCI-14 has the same structure as the original version, and confirmatory factor analysis was used to verify the existence of the factors Vision, Participative Safety, Task Orientation and Support for Innovation. The TCI-14 also presented good reliability coefficients considering the low number of items on each scale (alphas ranged between .75 and .82). The TCI-14 is a potentially useful instrument for evaluating the climate of work teams. It could be used by future research as a screening tool in conjunction with other instruments.     

Impulsivity as a predictor of newly-diagnosed peptic ulcer disease: A prospective cohort study

We examined the role of impulsivity in the development of peptic ulcer disease (PUD). The subjects were initially healthy 4636 hospital employees aged 19–62 who responded to a questionnaire on personality, health habits, mental health, and PUD in 1998 and 2000. We used multivariate logistic analyses to determine the relationship between impulsivity and newly-diagnosed PUD among those employees who did not have PUD at baseline. Impulsivity was assessed with the Karolinska Scale of Personality. High level of impulsivity was associated with increased 2-year incidence of doctor-diagnosed PUD after adjustment of age, gender, education and shift work (odds ratio = 2.42, 95% confidence interval = 1.21–4.82). Additional adjustment for the effects of smoking, alcohol consumption, BMI, physical activity, minor psychiatric morbidity and diagnosed depression and other psychiatric disease had little effect on this relationship. The present study suggests that impulsivity may be a risk factor for the development of PUD.     

Psychometric Properties of the Dutch BIS/BAS Scales

This study examined the reliability, factor structure, and convergent validity of the Dutch version of C. S. Carver and T. L. Whites (1994) Behavioral Approach System and Behavioral Inhibition System Scales (BIS/BAS Scales). For this purpose, the BIS/BAS Scales, a shortened version of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ), and the Dickman Impulsivity Inventory (DII) were administered to 246 undergraduate students in The Netherlands. The internal consistency of the BIS/BAS Scales was sufficient. Further, exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis showed that the Dutch BIS/BAS Scales have a factor structure similar to the English version. Finally, BIS/BAS Scales were found to correlate in a theoretically meaningful way with extraversion, neuroticism, psychoticism, and impulsivity.     

Differentiating anxious,aggressive, and socially competent preschool children: validation of the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation-30 (parent version)

The present study examined the factor structure, internal consistency, and construct validity of the parent version of the Social Competence and Behavior Evaluation-30 for preschoolers (SCBE-30; LaFreniere, P. J. (1990). Social competence and behavior evaluation-30. Unpublished measure.), an adaptation of the validated teacher version of the same measure (LaFreniere & Dumas, Psychol. Asses. 8 (1996) 369). The parent version of the SCBE-30 is a 30-item Likert rating scale questionnaire designed to assess patterns of anxiety/withdrawal, anger/aggression, and social competence. Principal components analysis was used to identify the factor structure of the parent version of the SCBE-30 (N = 218 preschool children). To assess construct validity, a compliance task was utilized to determine whether children identified as high on anxiety/withdrawal, anger/aggression, or social competence with the parent version of the SCBE-30 (n = 20 for each group) could be distinguished behaviorally on several observational variables. Principal components analysis identified three factors accounting for 44% of the variance. Ten items positively loaded onto each factor and matched conceptual expectations. A between-subjects MANOVA demonstrated significant group differences in observed child behaviors including compliance, noncompliance, subtypes of noncompliance, and aversive behavior. Results of the current study suggested that the parent version of the SCBE-30 demonstrated both internal consistency and construct validity, and findings paralleled many of the results from LaFreniere and Dumas' validation of the teacher version of the SCBE-30.     

Adaptation et validation d’une version brève en langue française du questionnaire d’impulsivité de Barratt (BIS-15)

IntroductionThe Barratt Impulsiveness Scale is one of the most frequently used questionnaires to assess impulsivity. Many versions of the questionnaire were developed during the 50 years that followed its creation.ObjectivesThis article reports validation data for a French-language version of Spinella's (2007) BIS-15 questionnaire, a short version of Barratt's original scale (BIS-11; Patton, Standford, & Barratt, 1995).MethodReliability, principal component analyses and confirmatory factor analyses have been conducted with two university student samples (study 1, n = 366; study 2, n = 322).ResultsThe results of this study revealed a number of redundant items, which lead us to consider a unidimensional model with correlated measurement errors. Cronbach's alpha reliability was acceptable for study 1 (0.71), and satisfactory for study 2 (0.81). Test-retest reliability was also satisfactory (0.84). Elements of external validity (correlations with anxiety, neurosis, and extraversion) are reported.ConclusionsConsiderations regarding the type of response scales and assessment methods used in questionnaires are discussed in the conclusion.     

学前儿童迷走神经活动与情绪反应、情绪调节及冲动性的关系

Porges的多迷走神经理论提出迷走神经活动(vagal activity)与儿童的情绪及社会行为密切联系,已有研究探讨了儿童迷走神经活动与儿童的情绪反应及调节的关系,但研究结论不够清晰,需要进一步研究澄清。本研究选取93名4-6岁学前儿童被试,运用生理测量手段与呼吸性窦性心律不齐(respiratory sinus arrhythmia,RSA)分析的方法,采用父母报告的学前儿童情绪反应强度、情绪调节能力、冲动性为结果变量,进一步探讨儿童迷走神经活动(以基线RSA、RSA撤出、RSA恢复为指标)与情绪反应、情绪调节及冲动性的关系。研究发现:(1)基线RSA与儿童情绪反应强度显著负相关,与儿童情绪调节能力显著正相关,基线RSA是儿童情绪反应强度显著负向预测因子,是儿童情绪调节能力的显著正向预测因子;(2)RSA撤出、RSA恢复性与儿童冲动性显著负相关,是儿童冲动性显著负向预测因子。研究结果支持了Porges的多迷走神经理论,表明迷走神经活动与儿童情绪反应、情绪调节及冲动性密切联系。     

Qualités psychométriques d’une version francophone du « Displaced Aggression Questionnaire »

IntroductionThe Displaced Aggression Questionnaire is currently the only self-report instrument to measure individual tendency to displace aggression. It is composed of three factors, which assess an affective dimension (angry rumination), a cognitive dimension (revenge planning) and a behavioral dimension (displaced aggression).ObjectiveTo adapt a French translated version of the Displaced Aggression Questionnaire and test the psychometrics.MethodIn this study, we recruited 191 adults in the community. The questionnaire has been adapted and validated with respects to guidelines for the process of transcultural adaptation and validation of self-report measures. A principal component analysis has been used to assess the structure of the French version of the questionnaire.ResultsAfter taking into account one item that has not loaded onto any of the three expected factors, the principal component analysis confirmed the hypothesized three-factor structure for the French version of the questionnaire according to the original structure of the scale. It has been named Questionnaire d’Agression Déplacée in French. Results showed good psychometric qualities for the internal consistency, the discriminant and concomitant validity and the reliability.ConclusionBased on these positive results, this version can already be used by French speaking researchers.     

Impulsivity as a precedent factor for problematic Internet use: How can we be sure?

Previous research has suggested that problematic Internet use (PIU) is associated with impulse control disorder. Although researchers have suggested that impulsivity is a risk factor for PIU, the literature lacks longitudinal evidence on the relationship between impulsivity and PIU. We aimed to use a cross‐lagged analytic framework to identify temporal order effects and hypothesised that impulsivity was the precedent factor for PIU. In a panel sample of college students (N = 367), trait impulsivity and PIU were measured in the spring of freshman year and in their junior year. The measures included a self‐developed PIU Scale and the revised Impulsiveness Scale based on Barratt's concept. We found that “non‐planning impulsivity” was not associated with PIU. The “motor impulsivity” subfactor was thus adopted in the cross‐lagged model. The results suggest that motor impulsivity and PIU were stable across time. Motor impulsivity at Time 1 positively predicted PIU at Time 2, but PIU at Time 1 did not predict motor impulsivity at Time 2. A further investigation using gender as a moderator found a gender difference in the temporal relationship. Because motor impulsivity is a risk factor for PIU, potential prevention strategies based on this result are suggested.