Barratt Impulsiveness Scale

See Fifty years of the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale: An update and review (PID, 2009) for a review :

The Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11) is a 30 item self-report instrument designed to assess the personality/behavioral construct of impulsiveness. Originally developed as part of a larger attempt to relate anxiety and impulsiveness to psychomotor efficiency, the BIS is arguably the most commonly administered self-report measure for the assessment of impulsiveness in both research and clinical settings.

Factor 1: Attention

1. I “squirm” at plays or lectures.
2. I am restless at the theater or lectures.
3. I don’t “pay attention.”
4. I concentrate easily.*
5. I am a steady thinker. *

Factor 2: Motor impulsiveness

1. I act “on impulse.”
2. I act on the spur of the moment.
3. I buy things on impulse.
4. I make up my mind quickly.
5. I do things without thinking.
6. I spend or charge more than I earn.
7. I am happy-go-lucky.

Factor 3: Self-control

1. I am a careful thinker. *
2. I plan tasks carefully. *
3. I am self-controlled. *
4. I plan trips well ahead of time. *
5. I plan for job security.*
6. I say things without thinking.

Factor 4: Cognitive complexity

1. I like to think about complex problems. *
2. I like puzzles.
3. I save regularly.
4. I am more interested in the present than the future.
5. I get easily bored when solving thought problems.

Factor 5: Perseverance

1. I change residences.
2. I change jobs.
3. I am future oriented. *
4. I can only think about one problem at a time.

Factor 6: Cognitive instability

1. I often have extraneous thoughts when thinking.
2. I have “racing thoughts.”
3. I change hobbies.

* indicates a reversed item