Negative urgency, the tendency to act rashly when distressed, is characterized by high Neuroticism, low Conscientiousness, and low Agreeableness. Because of this set of characteristics, the authors hypothesized that (1) negative urgency (NU) is a particularly important predictor of externalizing dysfunction; (2) traits that reflect primarily high Neuroticism predict internalizing dysfunction and (3) traits that reflect primarily low Conscientiousness predict those types of externalizing dysfunction that include intense affect less strongly than does NU. In three studies, the authors showed that negative urgency concurrently predicted alcohol dependence symptoms in disordered women, drinking problems and smoker status in pre-adolescents, and aggression, risky sex, illegal drug use, drinking problems, and conduct disordered behavior in college students. High Neuroticism traits predicted internalizing dysfunction but predicted none of these externalizing criteria beyond negative urgency. Low Conscientiousness did not add to prediction from negative urgency, except in a few cases. The tendency toward affect-driven rash action may underlie many externalizing behaviors.

Little is known about the correlates and potential causes of very early drinking. The authors proposed this risk theory: (a) pubertal onset is associated with increased levels of positive urgency (the tendency to act rashly when experiencing intensely positive mood), negative urgency (the tendency to act rashly when distressed), and sensation seeking; (b) those traits predict increased endorsement of high-risk alcohol expectancies; (c) the expectancies predict drinker status among 5 th graders; and (d) the apparent influence of positive urgency, negative urgency, and sensation seeking on drinker status is mediated by alcohol expectancies. The authors conducted a concurrent test of whether the relationships among these variables were consistent with the theory in a sample of 1,843 5 th grade students. In a well-fitting structural model, their hypotheses were supported. Drinker status among 5 th graders is not just a function of context and factors external to children: it is predictable from a combination of pubertal status, personality characteristics, and learned alcohol expectancies. Risk Factors for Elementary School Drinking: Pubertal Status, Personality, and Alcohol Expectancies Concurrently Predict 5 th Grade Alcohol ConsumptionResearchers know far too little about pre-adolescent alcohol consumption (Donovan, 2007;Windle, Spear, Fuligni, et al., 2008;Zucker, Donovan, Masten, Mattson, & Moss, 2008.) Because such very early consumption predicts substance use disorders in adolescence and adulthood (Grant & Dawson, 1997;Labouvie, Bates, & Pandina, 1997), researchers have focused primarily on early drinking as a predictor of later problems. The correlates, and potential causes, of pre-adolescent drinking have received much less attention. It is quite likely true that key determinants of pre-adolescent drinking include contextual variables, such as access to alcohol and favorable parental attitudes toward consumption (Jackson, 1997; Jahonda & Cramond, 1972; Greenlund, Johnson, Webber, & Berenson, 1997), but we know little about the degree to which personal characteristics of children, including aspects of their personality and learning histories, also play a role in very early consumption. Recent advances have made it possible to measure two categories of risk factors in pre-adolescents:Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Gregory T. Smith, Department of Psychology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, gsmith@email.uky.edu.. Publisher's Disclaimer: The following manuscript is the final accepted manuscript. It has not been subjected to the final copyediting, fact-checking, and proofreading required for formal publication. It is not the definitive, publisher-authenticated version. The American Psychological Association and its Council of Editors disclaim any responsibility or liabilities for errors or omissions of this manuscript version, any version derived from this manuscript by NIH, or other third parties. The published version is available at www.apa.org/pubs/journals/adb NI...

No abstract

This study investigated the influence of executive working memory (EWM) capacity on impulsive decision-making in a sample of young adults (n=623) that varied in degree of externalizing psychopathology (EXT) by examining: (i) the effects of WM load on delay discounting rates, and, (ii) the association between EWM capacity and delay discounting rates. EXT was measured as a latent variable indicated by lifetime problems with alcohol, marijuana, other drugs, childhood conduct, and adult antisocial behavior. Results showed that (i) the WM load increased discounting rates throughout the spectrum of EXT, (ii) EXT was associated with higher discounting rates and lower EMW capacity, and (iii) WM capacity was significantly associated with higher discounting rates when controlling for IQ, but only after a WM load. The results are discussed in terms of the role of EWM capacity in impulsive decision making in EXT.