NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL CORRELATES OF SELF-REPORTED IMPULSIVE AGGRESSION IN A COLLEGE SAMPLE

The present study examined the neuropsychological correlates of impuls ive aggression/violence using a population which is considered to be f unctioning 'normally' by societal standards, college students. Subject s were 12 college students classified as impulsive aggressive by self- report and 12 nonaggressive matched controls. All impulsive aggressive subjects reported a lifetime history of physical aggressive outbursts . The neuropsychological findings suggest that impulsive aggressives s hare a pathological focus involving specific executive control process es: impulse control and verbal strategic processing. These findings ar e consistent with the neuropsychological and psychophysiological findi ngs in impulsive aggressive incarcerated criminals and support the not ion of a specific behavioral syndrome associated with spontaneous aggr essive outbursts. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.