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Three Laboratory Procedures for Assessing Different Manifestations of Impulsivity in Rats
Published on: March 17, 2019
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Can impulsivity evolve in response to childhood environmental harshness?
Atsushi Kometani1, Yohsuke Ohtsubo2
1Department of Psychology, Graduate School of Humanities, Kobe University, Kobe, Japan.
Evolutionary Human Sciences
|August 17, 2023
Summary
Human impulsivity, linked to low childhood socioeconomic status (SES), does not appear to evolve with fitness. Instead, impulsivity, particularly a fast life history strategy, consistently lowers fitness across all socioeconomic backgrounds.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary psychology
- Behavioral genetics
- Human ecology
Background:
- Previous research suggests impulsivity is an adaptive response to harsh childhood environments, with individuals from low socioeconomic status (SES) families exhibiting higher impulsivity.
- The evolvability of this impulsivity reaction norm, however, has not been empirically tested.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate if impulsivity is associated with increased fitness in low SES individuals and decreased fitness in high SES individuals.
- To determine if the impulsivity reaction norm to childhood SES is evolving.
Main Methods:
- Assessed three impulsivity indices (temporal discounting, risk-taking, fast/slow life history strategy) in 692 middle-aged adults.
- Collected data on childhood SES and five fitness proxies (number of children, lifelong singlehood, income, subjective SES, life satisfaction).
Main Results:
- No evidence supported the evolvability of the impulsivity reaction norm across different childhood SES levels.
- Low childhood SES was consistently associated with lower fitness across all measured proxies.
- Impulsivity, operationalized as a fast life history strategy, was linked to reduced fitness irrespective of childhood SES.
Conclusions:
- The study did not find support for the hypothesis that impulsivity evolves adaptively in response to childhood socioeconomic status.
- Impulsivity appears to be detrimental to fitness, regardless of an individual's socioeconomic background.
- Low childhood SES is associated with reduced fitness outcomes, independent of impulsivity's role.
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