| Two studies evaluated the validity of a new measure of impulsivity titled the Risk Seeking and Response Inhibition Scales. This measure was derived from a two-factor theory of impulsivity and was designed to replace the questionnaires currently used in the impulsivity literature. The first study demonstrated good concurrent and discriminant validity with existing measures of impulsivity. Furthermore, marginal external validity was shown through correlations with measures of compulsive buying, alcohol problems and gambling problems. In the second study, structural models were constructed to measure the new scales' ability to predict two experimental decision making tasks, the Iowa Gambling Task and Balloon Analogue Risk Task. These models demonstrated some validity, but also highlighted some of the weaknesses still present in the new measure. Further refinement is needed before the sub-scales can adequately replace currently used measures. However, these studies demonstrate that a replacement is still very much needed. |
