Script Author: Katja Borchert, Ph.D. (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond
Created: January 28, 2013
Last Modified: June 01, 2026 by K. Borchert (katjab@millisecond.com), Millisecond
Script Copyright © Millisecond Software, LLC
This script implements the original UPPS impulsive behavior scale by Whiteside & Lynam (2001).
Made available by Dr. Lynam on: • https://www1.psych.purdue.edu/~dlynam/uppspage.htm
Whiteside, S. P., & Lynam, D. R. (2001). The Five Factor Model and impulsivity: using a structural model of personality to understand impulsivity. Personality and Individual Differences, 30(4), 669-689
Keye, D., Wilhelm, O., & Oberauer, K. (2009). Structure and correlates of the German version of the Brief UPPS Impulsive Behavior Scales. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 25(3), 175-185. doi: 10.1027/1015-5759.25.3.175.
• (1) Keye et al (2009, p.185) mention in a footnote that their translation for the item (q4) "I generally like to see things through to the end. => Im Allgemeinen durchschaue ich Dinge gerne bis zum Ende." is not a correct translation of the English item.
Millisecond (K. Borchert, German native) offers the following substitute "4. Im Allgemeinen ziehe ich Dinge gerne bis zum Ende durch." (default) or as an alternative: "4. Im Allgemeinen bringe ich Dinge gerne zu Ende." This translation, however, is not tested. It can be easily changed if needed. See radioButtons.q4_PERS
(2) Other German translations availabe by:
Schmidt, R.E., Gay, P., d’Acremont, M., & Van der Linden, M. (2008). A German adaptation of the UPPS impulsive behavior scale: Psychometric properties and factor structure. Swiss Journal of Psychology, 67(2), 107–112.
Kämpfe, N., & Mitte, K. (2009). A German validation of the UPPS impulsive behavior scale: Further evidence for a four-dimensional model of impulsivity. European Journal of Psychological Assessment, 25(4), 252–259. https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759.25.4.252
3 minutes
45 4-point Likert Questions regarding impulsive behavior, self-report
According to Whiteside & Lynam (2001) impulsivity encompasses four personality facets that are assessed in the UPPS impulse behavior scale. The 45 questions are assigned to the following facets:
1) Urgency (URG): 2 (R), 6 (R), 10 (R), 14 (R), 18 (R), 24 (R), 28 (R), 32 (R), 36 (R), 41 (R), 43, 45 (R) "measures an individual’s tendency to act “impulsively” under conditions of negative affect" *
2) (lack of) Premeditation (PREM): 1, 5, 9, 13, 17, 23, 27, 31, 35, 39, 40. "assesses an individual’s tendency to act without consideration of the potential consequences of the behavior" *
3) (lack of) Perseverance (PERS): 4, 8 (R), 12, 16, 20, 22, 26, 30, 34, 38 (R) "assesses an individual’s tendency to give up in the face of boredom, fatigue, or frustration." *
4) Sensation Seeking (SS): 3 (R), 7 (R), 11 (R), 15 (R), 19 (R), 21 (R), 25 (R), 29 (R), 33 (R), 37 (R), 42 (R), 44 (R) "refers to an individual’s interest in and tendency to pursue activities that are exciting and novel" *
(R) = reversed scoring • = see web site above
File Name: upps_summary*.iqdat
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| startDate | Date the session was run |
| startTime | Time the session was run |
| subjectId | Participant ID |
| groupId | Group number |
| sessionId | Session number |
| elapsedTime | Session duration in ms |
| inquisit.version | Inquisit version number |
| computer.platform | Device platform: win | mac |ios | android |
| computer.touch | 0 = device has no touchscreen capabilities; 1 = device has touchscreen capabilities |
| computer.hasKeyboard | 0 = no external keyboard detected; 1 = external keyboard detected |
| completed | 0 = Test was not completed 1 = Test was completed |
| totalScore | Sum of all scores (Range: 45-180) Higher Scores are indicative for higher impulsivity |
Subscales |
|
| urg | Sum of all 'urgency' scores (Range: 12-48) |
| prem | Sum of all 'lack of premeditation' scores (Range: 11-44) |
| pers | Sum of all 'lack of perseverance' scores (Range: 10-40) |
| ss | Sum of all 'sensation seeking' scores (Range: 12-48) |
File Name: upps.iqdat
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| date | Date the session was run |
| time | Time the session was run |
| subject | Participant ID |
| group | Group number |
| session | Session number |
| build | Inquisit version number |
| q*_response | Response given (in assigned values) Scale: 1 (strongly agree) - 4 (disagree strongly) R = automatically reversed scored questions |
| q*_latency | How much time (in ms) the participant spent on the surveyPage with this particular question (the last time this particular surveyPage was visited) |