Adult Impulsiveness Scale I7

Abstract

The Adult Impulsiveness Scale I7 is a psychological instrument developed within the dimensional system of personality description pioneered by the Eysencks. This scale is designed specifically for use with adult populations to measure three distinct, yet related, non-cognitive dimensions of personality: Impulsiveness, Venturesomeness, and Empathy. The I7 scale expands upon previous measures by providing comprehensive norms for these specific traits in adults, contributing significantly to the assessment of dispositional tendencies toward risk-taking, lack of forethought, and emotional responsiveness.

Keywords

Adult Impulsiveness Scale, I7, Impulsiveness, Venturesomeness, Empathy, Eysenck, Personality Assessment, Psychometrics, Risk-Taking.

Authors

S. B. G. Eysenck, G. Easting, P. R. Pearson, J. P. Allsopp.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Adult Impulsiveness Scale I7 is the quantitative measurement of three fundamental non-cognitive components of personality: Impulsiveness, Venturesomeness, and Empathy. Developed as an extension of earlier work by Eysenck and Eysenck (1978), the I7 specifically aimed to establish age norms for these traits in adult samples, thereby providing a robust framework for comparative and diagnostic studies.

This scale is crucial for researchers studying the underlying factors of psychopathology, criminal behavior, and general personality structure, as these three dimensions are often implicated in various clinical and forensic contexts. By separating Impulsiveness (acting without forethought) from Venturesomeness (a preference for risk and excitement), the scale allows for a more nuanced understanding of risk-taking behaviors than single-factor measures.

Construct

The Adult Impulsiveness Scale I7 is a multi-dimensional measure assessing three distinct personality description factors. These factors are conceptualized as independent dimensions, each contributing uniquely to an individual’s behavioral tendencies and emotional responses.

• Impulsiveness: This dimension captures the tendency to act or speak without careful consideration of the consequences. High scores indicate a predisposition toward quick decision-making, lack of planning, and involvement in situations that may later be regretted.
• Venturesomeness: This factor measures the willingness to engage in physical or social risk-taking, seeking out new and exciting experiences, often regardless of potential danger or social convention. Items related to diving, fast driving, or parachute jumping typically load onto this factor.
• Empathy: This dimension assesses the capacity to understand and share the feelings of others. It includes aspects of emotional contagion and sensitivity to the distress or happiness of people around them. Low scores on this subscale are often associated with psychopathic traits.

Validity

The validity of the I7 scale is primarily established through its adherence to the theoretical framework of Eysenckian personality theory, which posits these traits as fundamental dimensions of temperament. The construct validity is supported by numerous studies, including the seminal work by Eysenck, Pearson, Easting, & Allsopp (1985), which demonstrated that the three subscales—Impulsiveness, Venturesomeness, and Empathy—are distinct yet possess meaningful correlations with other established personality inventories, such as the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ).

Furthermore, criterion validity has been shown through the predictable correlation of high Impulsiveness and Venturesomeness scores with real-world behaviors, including academic failure, traffic violations, and specific types of criminal activity. The subscales exhibit differential predictive power, confirming that they are not merely redundant measures of a single underlying factor.

Reliability

Reliability for the Adult Impulsiveness Scale I7 has been reported in the literature, particularly in the studies establishing adult norms (Eysenck et al., 1985). Internal consistency, typically measured using Cronbach’s Alpha, is generally found to be acceptable for psychological research, confirming that items within each of the three subscales measure a cohesive construct.

Test-retest reliability studies, which assess the stability of the traits over time, indicate that Impulsiveness, Venturesomeness, and Empathy are stable personality traits in adults, exhibiting good temporal consistency. These reliability figures ensure that the scale provides consistent measurement for both clinical and research applications.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the Adult Impulsiveness Scale I7 was confirmed through factor analysis performed during its development. The results consistently support a three-factor solution, corresponding precisely to the intended dimensions: Impulsiveness, Venturesomeness, and Empathy. This factorial validity confirms that the items successfully group together according to their hypothesized constructs, maintaining the distinction between the motivational aspect (Venturesomeness) and the cognitive control aspect (Impulsiveness).

The factor analysis demonstrated that while the three factors are conceptually linked within the broader domain of personality, they are empirically separable, justifying the use of three distinct subscale scores rather than a single global score for the I7 instrument. This clear factor loading pattern has been replicated across various samples, underscoring the instrument’s structural integrity.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report personality description inventory.

Format: 54 dichotomous items (Yes/No response format).

Language Available: Primarily English (original development language).

Population Group: General adult population.

Age Group: Adults (typically 18 years and older, with specific norms developed for various adult age brackets).

Population Details: Norms were established based on large samples from the UK population in the 1980s, providing benchmarks for comparing individual scores on Impulsiveness, Venturesomeness, and Empathy.

Test Methodology: Respondents answer each item with a simple YES or NO. Scoring involves keying specific responses to the three subscales, with higher scores indicating a greater degree of the measured trait (e.g., higher Impulsiveness).

Keywords

Psychological assessment, Eysenckian dimensions, self-report scale, adult norms, emotional responsiveness, non-cognitive traits, personality inventory, Empathy measurement, risk preference, Venturesomeness.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source material; requires external lookup.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not provided in source material.

Correspondence Address: Correspondence is typically handled through the institutional affiliation of the primary authors at the time of publication (e.g., Institute of Psychiatry, London, or University of Warwick, as referenced in later studies).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: Initial development and publication of adult norms occurred in 1985 (based on the Eysenck et al., 1985 reference).

Permissions & Fee: The I7 scale is widely used in academic research. Usage permissions and fees may vary depending on the publisher or repository holding the current rights. Researchers may often obtain versions for academic use through university repositories, such as the one linked below.

The instrument can be found online at: http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/2900/

Reference’s

The development and validation of the I7 scale are documented in the following academic publications:

• Eysenck, S. B. G., & Eysenck, H. J. (1978). Impulsiveness and venturesomeness: Their position in a dimensional system of personality description. Psychological Reports, 43(3), 1247-1255.
• Eysenck, S. B. G., Easting, G., & Pearson, P. R. (1984). Age norms for Impulsiveness, Venturesomeness and Empathy in children. Personality and Individual Differences, 5, 315-321.
• Eysenck, S. B. G., Pearson, P. R., Easting, G., & Allsopp, J. P. (1985). Age norms for Impulsiveness, Venturesomeness and Empathy in Adults. Personality and Individual Differences, 6, 613-619.
• Miller, E. (2003). The Measurement of Impulsivity. Coventry University, School of Health and Social Sciences and University of Warwick, Thesis (Ph. D.). http://wrap.warwick.ac.uk/2900/
• Miller, E., Tudway, J., & Watson, D. (2003). Investigating the Attentional-Fixity theory of impulsivity (Dickman, 1993,1996) among a UK sexual offending sample. To be submitted to the Journal of Interpersonal Violence.

Items of the Adult Impulsiveness Scale I7

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. Would you enjoy water skiing?
2. Usually do you prefer to stick to brands you know are reliable, to trying new ones on the chance of finding something better?
3. Would you feel sorry for a lonely stranger?
4. Do you quite enjoy taking risks?
5. Do you often get emotionally involved with your friends’ problems?
6. Would you enjoy parachute jumping?
7. Do you often buy things on impulse?
8. Do unhappy people who are sorry for themselves irritate you?
9. Do you generally do and say things without stopping to think?
10. Are you inclined to get nervous when others around you seem to be nervous?
11. Do you often get into a jam because you do things without thinking?
12. Do you think hitchhiking is too dangerous a way to travel?
13. Do you find it silly for people to c out of happiness?
14. Do you like diving off the high board?
15. Do people you are with have a strong influence on your moods?
16. Are you an impulsive person?
17. Do you welcome new and exciting experiences and sensations, even if they are a little frightening and unconventional?
18. Does it affect you very much when one of your friends seems upset?
19. Do you usually think carefully before doing anything?
20. Would you like to learn to fly an aeroplane?
21. Do you ever get deeply involved with the feelings of a ch‎aracter in a film, la or novel?
22. Do you often do things on the spur of the moment?
23. Do you get very upset when you see someone cry?
24. Do you sometimes find else’s laughter catching?
25. Do you mostly speak without thinking things out?
26. Do you often get involved in things you later wish you could get out of?
27. Do you get so carried away by new and exciting ideas, that you never think of possible snags?
28. Do you find it hard to understand people who risk their necks climbing mountains?
29. Can you make decisions without worrying about other peoples’ feelings?
30. Do you sometimes like doing things that are a bit frightening?
31. Do you need to use a lot of self-control to keep out of trouble?
32. Do you become more irritated than sympathetic when you see someone cry?
33. Would you agree that almost everything enjoyable is illegal or immoral?
34. Generally do you prefer to enter cold sea water gradually, to diving or jumping straight in?
35. Are you often surprised at people’s reactions to what you say or do?
36. Would you enjoy the sensation of skiing very fast down a high mountain slope?
37. Do you like watching people open presents?
38. Do you think an evening out is more successful if it is unplanned or arranged at the last moment?
39. Would you like to go scuba diving?
40. Would you find it hard to break bad news to someone?
41. Would you enjoy fast driving?
42. Do you usually work quickly, without bothering to check?
43. Do you often change your interests?
44. Before making up your mind, do you consider all the advantages and disadvantages?
45. Can you get very interested in your friends’ problems?
46. Would you like to go pot-holing?
47. Would you be put off a job involving quite a bit of danger?
48. Do you prefer to sleep on it before making decisions?
49. When people shout at you, do you shout back?
50. Do you feel sorry for very shy people?
51. Are you happy when you are with a cheerful group and sad when the others are glum?
52. Do you usually make up your mind quickly?
53. Can you imagine what it must be like to be lonely?
54. Does it worry you when others are worrying and panicky?