Relationships Among Laboratory and Psychometric Measures of Impulsivity: Implications in Substance Abuse and Dependence

Objectives Problems with impulsive behavior are a key feature in substance use disorders. Many studies have examined this relationship, but methods used to measure impulsivity have varied greatly. The present study used a multimethod approach to determine relationships using both laboratory and psychometric measures of impulsivity commonly employed in the behavioral and health sciences. Methods Thirty-two adult male subjects participated for 5 days, completing psychometric instruments on day 1 and behavioral tests in counterbalanced order on days 2–5. Results Correlations between the behavioral and psychometric measures were uniformly low. Correlations within the psychometric instruments were consistently high. Principal components analysis revealed that the behavioral measures loaded into separate factors of response inhibition tasks and delay of reward tasks. Psychometric measures loaded into a single factor. Conclusions Results are discussed in terms of how studies of impulsivity might be interpreted based upon the tasks used, and how these interpretations may subsequently guide theory and measurement in substance abuse and dependence.