Abstract
Impulsivity is a multifaceted trait with substantial implications for human well-being. One facet of impulsivity is negative urgency, the tendency to act impulsively in response to negative affect. Correlational evidence suggests that negative affect magnifies impulsive behavior among individuals with greater negative urgency, yet causal evidence for this core pillar of urgency theory is lacking. To fill this gap in the literature, participants (N = 363) were randomly assigned to experience social rejection (a situation shown to induce negative affect) or acceptance. Participants then reported their subjective negative affect, completed a behavioral measure of impulsivity, and reported their negative urgency. Among individuals with relatively high and average negative urgency, social rejection increased their impulsive behavior through greater experiences of negative affect. These indirect effects were not observed among individuals relatively low in negative urgency. These findings suggest that negative urgency exists at the nexus of urgent dispositions and situations that elicit negative affect, which offers novel support for urgency theory.
Document Type
Article
Publication Date
7-2017
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000308
Funding Information
This research was supported by the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health under award DA05312.
Repository Citation
Chester, David S.; Lynam, Donald R.; Milich, Richard S.; and DeWall, C. Nathan, "Social Rejection Magnifies Impulsive Behavior Among Individuals with Greater Negative Urgency: An Experimental Test of Urgency Theory" (2017). Psychology Faculty Publications. 160.
https://uknowledge.uky.edu/psychology_facpub/160
Included in
Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Commons, Mental and Social Health Commons, Psychology Commons
Notes/Citation Information
Published in Journal of Experimental Psychology: General, v. 146, no. 7, p. 962-967.
© 2017, American Psychological Association. This manuscript is not the copy of record and may not exactly replicate the final, authoritative version of the article. Please do not copy or cite without authors’ permission. The final version of record is available via its DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/xge0000308
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