The cognitive mechanisms and everyday contexts driving impulsivity

How many times every day do you do things on the spur of the moment? Impulsivity (or acting without foresight) in pursuit of short-term gratification is a central part of human behaviour. Impulsivity often underlies the decisions we make that negatively impact our health and wellbeing, such as binging on sugar, excessive alcohol consumption or smoking. Self-control strategies are needed to manage our impulses, however, the psychological mechanisms and contextual drivers of impulsivity are poorly understood, preventing those strategies from being effectively developed. A PhD candidate is invited to work on an ARC-funded project aiming to delineate the cognitive mechanisms that interact to produce impulsivity, and determine how everyday contexts affect these mechanisms and predict the occurrence of impulsive behaviours. A novel, unified measure of cognitive impulsivity will be used in two related studies in order to: (1) develop and test a framework of the mechanisms underlying impulsivity using structural equation modelling, and; (2) establish the impact of three everyday contextual influences (appetite, stress and environmental stimulation) on the mechanisms of impulsivity using experimental manipulation. The successful candidate will gain a breadth of valuable experience and skills, e.g. in cognitive assessment and testing, cognitive modelling, new research technologies (e.g. Virtual Reality and smartphone apps), and experimental protocol. This research will aid in the development of programs and technologies to moderate problematic impulsive behaviours, such as binge drinking, sugar intake, smoking, gambling, aggression or road speeding.