TRAIT IMPULSIVITY AND OCULOMOTOR INHIBITION

Trait impulsivity is multi-dimensional in nature. Researchers are beginning to explore how these dimensions of impulsivity relate to inhibitory control. When using behavioural tasks, some studies have found inhibitory control deficits in people with high levels of impulsivity. Comparatively, little is known about the relationship between oculomotor inhibition and trait impulsivity in healthy participants. The aim of this study was to determine the relationship between trait impulsivity and oculomotor inhibition. Using a sample of 80 participants, impulsivity was measured via two self-report questionnaires; oculomotor inhibition was measured with anti-saccades. In general there was no relationship between impulsivity and anti-saccade errors. Those with low scores on the BIS attentional scale made more anti-saccade errors than those with high scores. Neither anti-saccade nor pro-saccade latencies correlated with impulsivity. These findings suggest oculomotor inhibition is not impaired in individuals with trait impulsivity.