Psychology Of Learning Discussion Board Response- READ ENTIRELY BEFORE YOU CONTACT ME!

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I found this article extremely interesting; as it raises a lot of good questions and possible factors for what causes a higher impulsive behavior, and how this can affect an individual regarding drug use. Overall, I do agree with the perspective of the author. Not only did they have three different hypothesis that they researched: "(1) increased levels of impulsivity lead to drug abuse (H1), (2) drugs of abuse increase impulsivity (H2), and (3) impulsivity and drug abuse are associated through a common third factor (H3)." (Perry & Carroll, 2008, p. 1) to understand how impulsivity and drug use correlate, they also had an extensive list of references in order better guide their research and better understand their findings. One thing I found extremely interesting was how gender and hormones can influence impulsivity and drug abuse, where women are more likely to exhibit drug seeking behavior, but men are more likely to have problems with drug abuse (Perry & Carroll, 2008). The difference is drug abuse and gender is interesting to me; I'm curious as to why this is. Is it due to hormonal differences and environmental factors as hypothesized? I would love to see more studies done over this topic.

We all know that teenagers are more likely to be more impulsive and engage in higher-risk behaviors than adults, since their brain has yet to fully develop (specifically in the decision-making area). So, we know that age can influence impulsivity, but what else? Gender, education level, social class, childhood trauma, genetics? I find this topic extremely interesting and am interested to see what future research is released regarding these areas regarding impulsivity.

Another situation(s) where I feel the same perspective can be applied, is impulsivity level regarding gambling and sexual promiscuity/risks.

Regarding gambling, one study found that "Specifically, the resulting four-factor model suggests that the distinct elements of impulsivity that are most relevant to PG severity are temporal myopia (impulsive discounting); oversensitivity to both rewarding and punishing outcomes; and a propensity for inattention, failure to plan ahead, and lack of perseverance." (MacKillop, Miller, Fortune, Maples, Lance, Campbell, & Goodie, 2014, p. 180). This study also found that while impulsivity level may affect gambling, gambling may also affect impulsivity level (MacKillop et al., 2014). To me, it makes since that impulsivity level would have an effect on gambling since, like drugs, gambling is addictive; once an individual obtains a win, they are more likely to continue trying to achieve the same "high" they got from that previous win. It makes since that individuals who have a higher level of impulsivity would be more inclined to become addicted to gambling than individuals who have a lower impulsivity. This may also be true since individuals who have a higher-level impulsivity may be more likely to engage in risky behavior, such as drug use, or gambling, where individuals who have a lower impulsivity level may not be as inclined or likely to partake in risky behavior.

Like gambling and drug use, I believe that sexual promiscuity/sexual risks go hand-in-hand with impulsivity level. Individuals who have a higher level of impulsivity may be more likely to engage in sexual risks such as a high and frequent level of partners and lack of sexual protection used (such as birth control pills, condoms, etc) than individuals with a lower level of impulsivity. One study found that "Sensation seeking was strongly related to the two health risk domains, supporting the hypothesis that a propensity to take risks is associated with risky behavior." Baker & Yardley et al (as cited in VanZile-Tamsen, Testa, Harlow, & Livingston, 2006, p.253). As the assigned article states, "A relationship between sex and impulsivity (F>M) is emerging. Now it will be important to examine the role of female gonadal hormones in impulsivity to determine its influence in other aspects of drug abuse." (Perry & Carroll, 2008, p. 18).

References

MacKillop, J., Miller, J. D., Fortune, E., Maples, J., Lance, C. E., Campbell, W. K., & Goodie, A. S. (2014). Multidimensional examination of impulsivity in relation to disordered gambling. Experimental and Clinical Psycopharmacology: Copyright of American Psychological Association. 22(2), 176-185. http://eds.b.ebscohost.com.zeus.tarleton.edu:82/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=5&sid=041b0144-eedb-47c7-a355-9c4262684299%40sessionmgr101

Perry, J. L., & Carroll, M. E., (2008). The role of impulsive behavior in drug abuse. Psychopharmacology. Copyright of Springer-Verlag. 200: 1-26. https://blackboardlearn.tarleton.edu/bbcswebdav/courses/CRS-NR-201708/CRS-NR-201608_ImportedContent_20160827052616/Role%20of%20impulsive%20behavior%20on%20drug%20abuse.pdf

VanZile-Tamsen, C., Testa, M., Harlow, L.L., & Livingston, J. A. (2006). A measurement model of women's behavioral risk taking. Health Psychology. Copyright of American Psychological Association. 25(2). 249-254. http://eds.a.ebscohost.com.zeus.tarleton.edu:82/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=4&sid=448f67fd-e254-4536-bc65-865b15a36111%40sessionmgr4008