EXTROVERSION AND BEHAVIORAL IMPULSIVITY

Previous research demonstrates low correlations between paper-and-penc il and behavioral measures of impulsivity in normal volunteer subjects . These low correlations may be due to laboratory testing conducted un der low arousal conditions that allows impulsive subjects to restrain their impulsive behaviors. It was hypothesized that a mental stressor will increase impulsive behaviors in extraverts. 41 subjects underwent a negative (speech about negative aspects of oneself) and a positive (speech about a happy time in their life) mental stressor and 12 subje cts underwent a neutral mood induction. Analyses of affective changes indicated that the mental stressors were effective in changing mood. A nalyses of impulsive behaviors (indexed by errors of commission in the Go/No Go task) showed that extraverts demonstrate greater errors of c ommission than introverts and neurotic introverts demonstrate greater errors of omission than other subjects. The mental stressors were not effective in increasing impulsive behaviors. A plausible explanation i s that the monetary reward in the Go/No Go task masked any effect ment al stressors may have had on errors of commission. (C) 1997 Elsevier S cience Ltd.