Does impulsivity converge distinctively with inhibitory control? Disentangling the cold and hot aspects of inhibitory control

Trait impulsivity incorporates deficits in cognitive processes that can be viewed as resulting from deficiencies in executive functions, particularly inhibitory control. To better understand the relationship between impulsivity and inhibitory control, it is useful to divide inhibitory control into cognitive (cold) and emotional (hot) variants, mediated by differential neural networks. In this study, we aimed to examine impulsivity-related differences in inhibitory control in response to non-emotional versus emotional stimuli. We further examined impulsivity related differences in the ability to maintain attention during a continuous and repetitive activity, based on the same distinction between cold and hot categories. To evaluate cold and hot variants of inhibition and attentional processes in relation to trait impulsivity, we used two types of go/no-go tasks, non-emotional and emotional. Trait impulsivity was assessed using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale. Results showed that high-impulsivity individuals were less able to exert both cold and hot variants of inhibitory control. When cognitive performance involved emotional stimuli, high-impulsivity participants were less prone to lapses of attention and better able to maintain attention. In conclusion, trait impulsivity was manifested differently when emotional stimuli were involved, especially in terms of the attentional component. A division into affective and cognitive components of impulsivity is proposed.