Impulsivity is actions which are poorly conceived, prematurely expressed, unduly risky or inappropriate to the situation. Impulsivity has been found in a wide variety of species in a wide variety of taxa, but why do animals behave impulsively since it seems to be the very opposite of optimal behaviour? 

Impulsivity does not seem to be one uniform trait, but consists of different types of impulsive behaviours. Impulsive action and impulsive choice are the two most commonly studied. How closely linked these different types of impulsivity are is still unknown, some theoretical work suggest that they should be closely linked since one needs motor self regulation to be able to show self control. Yet the few studies that have explored this relationship show that impulsive action and impulsive choice are not linked.

Personality and cognition seem to be linked, yet how they are linked is still unknown. Since impulsivity is sometimes described as a personality trait and sometimes as a cognitive ability I thought that by looking at how impulsivity links to personality and cognition might help shed some light on the link between personality and cognition.

Aims

1. Develop impulsivity tests for Red Junglefowl, preferentially tests that capture different aspects of impulsivity.
2. Explore how impulsivity relates to personality and cognition.