The assessment of behavioural activation––the relationship between impulsivity and behavioural activation

Many theorists propose that two fundamental biological systems are responsible for emotional regulation: one appetitive and one aversive. Gray’s behavioural approach or activation system (BAS) and behavioural inhibition system (BIS) in particular offer considerable promise in explaining a variety of normal and pathological behaviours. While revisions of Gray’s theory continue to be made, the nature of the BAS remains unclear and controversial. Because Gray proposed that BIS and BAS activity underlie trait anxiety and impulsivity, respectively, many researchers use impulsivity measures to assess BAS activity. However, impulsivity is a multidimensional construct, and which components are relevant to the BAS is by no means clear. This investigation sought to determine whether impulsivity is an appropriate measure of behavioural activation, and if so, which components are related to BAS activity. Measures of BAS and impulsivity were administered to University of Waterloo undergraduates. A series of confirmatory factor analyses revealed that while a case may be made for the use of global impulsivity measures as indicators of BAS activity, these measures are better thought of as composites of separate, correlated constructs, which are not uniformly connected to the BAS. These findings have implications for the current understanding of the nature of the BAS.