Structure and Correlates of the German Version of the Brief UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scales

The article proposes a shortened German version of the UPPS impulsive behavior scales. In Study 1, 149 high-school students completed the UPPS questionnaire, a Big-FIVE questionnaire, additional established self-report scales to measure conscientiousness and impulsivity, as well as tests of working memory capacity, reasoning, and clerical speed. Measurement models were applied to the full translated UPPS scales using confirmatory factor analysis. A satisfactory measurement model could be established only by removing many of the initial items. The remaining items correlated as expected with other self-report and ability measures: Substantial correlations with impulsivity and conscientiousness contrasted with zero correlations with working memory and reasoning ability. The association between impulsivity factors and perceptual speed was primarily a result of the number of solved items rather than the number of mistakes in the speed tasks. In Study 2 the reduced item set from Study 1 was administered to 246 participants to replicate the model. The fit of this model supports the construct validity of the final item set. The generally low correlations of the UPPS with cognitive variables questions interpretations of self-reported impulsivity that are overly focused on cognition. More appropriate cognitive criteria for impulsivity constructs should be established.