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Sensation Seeking

Sensation Seeking. Kristen Cushman. Overview. Sensation seeking Description & Measurement Relation to other personality characteristics Big 5 & Eysenck ’ s PEN Occupations, habits, hobbies related to SS Factors that affect SS Problems with measures of SS scales. Sensation Seeking.

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Sensation Seeking

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  1. Sensation Seeking Kristen Cushman

  2. Overview • Sensation seeking • Description & Measurement • Relation to other personality characteristics • Big 5 & Eysenck’s PEN • Occupations, habits, hobbies related to SS • Factors that affect SS • Problems with measures of SS scales

  3. Sensation Seeking • Definition coined by Zuckerman • Multifaceted personality trait • Seeking varied, novel, complex & intense sensations/experiences • Willing to take physical, social, legal & financial risks for sake of such experience

  4. Measuring Sensation Seeking • Self-report questionnaires • Urgency, Premeditation, Perseverance, & Sensation Seeking (UPPS) • Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS) • Eysenck Impulsiveness Scale (EIS) • Behavioral Constraint factor of Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire

  5. Measuring Sensation Seeking • Self-report questionnaires • Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scales (SSS) • 14 different forms • Many language translations • SSS-V • Four subscales • Thrill & Adventure Seeking (TAS) • Experience Seeking (ES) • Disinhibition (DIS) • Boredom Susceptibility (BS)

  6. Measuring Sensation Seeking • Self-report questionnaires • Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire • Sociability • Neuroticism-Anxiety • Impulsive Sensation Seeking • Aggression Hostility • Activity

  7. Zuckerman-Kuhlman Personality Questionnaire • I like to have new and exciting experiences and sensations even if they are a little frightening • I like doing things just for the thrill of it • I enjoy getting into new situations where you can’t predict how things will turn out • I would like to take off on a trip with no preplanned or definite routes or timetables • I tend to begin a new job without much advance planning on how I will do it

  8. Sensation Seeking Model Genetic Biological Social Psychophysiological Behaviors Attitudes Preferences

  9. Sensation Seeking Behaviors • Behaviors that elicit increased amounts of stimulation • Pursuing stimulating jobs, using drugs, driving recklessly • Involve seeking out arousal • Associated risk • Risk taking, however, is not primary motive in behavior

  10. Behavior, Activities & Attitudes • Occupational choice • Recreation • Lifestyle choices • Sports • Social Interactions

  11. Relation to Big 5 • Positive correlations • SSS-V & Openness to Experience (r = .45) of NEO-PI-R • Overall & each subscale (especially ES) • Negative correlations • SSS-V Disinhibition & Agreeableness (r = -.40) • SSS-V Boredom Susceptibility & Agreeableness(r = -.048)

  12. Relation to Eysenck’s PEN • Psychoticism scale of EPQ relates to experience-seeking scores of SSS-V • Extraversion scale of EPQ relates to Thrill & Adventure Seeking scores of SSS-V

  13. ‘Bad’ & ‘Good’ Sensation Seeking • Impulsive, unsocalized sensation seeking (ImpUSS) • Disinhibition, Experience Seeking & Boredom Susceptibility of SSS-V & Psychoticism of EPQ • Those high on these scales tend to be nonconforming, nonconventional & lack planning skills • Less sensitivity to risk • Non-impulsive, socialized sensation seeking • Thrill & Adventure Seeking of SSS-V

  14. Stimulating Occupational Choices • Jobs that are adventurous & non-conventional • Serve as source of arousal • Sensation seeking and Strong Vocational Interest Blank • High SS correlates with jobs involving • Novel situations • Stimulating surroundings • Unstructured tasks • Flexibility

  15. Stimulating Occupational Choices • Gender differences • High SS males: scientific or social service careers • Psychologist • Psychiatrist • Social worker • Females: negative relationship between SS scores & traditional occupations(housewife, teacher)

  16. Stimulating Occupational Choices • High Thrill & Adventure Seeking & Dishibition scores • Firefighters • Mountain & mine rescue squads • Race car drivers • Mountain climbers • Parachutists

  17. Stimulating Occupational Choices • New sensations & experience, less risk • Journalist, movie double, surgeon • Elevated scores on SSS-V overall, Thrill & Adventure Seeking & Boredom susceptibility • High schoolers with high TAS scores rated jobs with risk as more desirable • Aircraft pilot, policeman, army officer

  18. Habits Related toSensation Seeking • High sensation seeking related to • Fighting • Drug use • Drunk driving • Seatbelt usage

  19. Habits Related toSensation Seeking • Lack of external stimulation • Boredom with surroundings • May lead to substance abuse • Sensation seeking and alcohol usage • High scores on Disinhibition & Experience Seeking related to alcohol abuse • Relationship between behavioral disinhibition, preference for sensation seeking & drinking habits

  20. Habits Related toSensation Seeking • Peer sensation seeking and individual drug usage • Mutual attraction to various experiences • Risky sexual situations • High sensation seekers have more sexual partners, permissive sexual attitudes & are less likely to use protection

  21. Hobbies: Sports & Recreation • Sensation seekers & socially acceptable means • Listening to arousing music • Volunteering for experiments • Traveling • Enjoying unusual or unpleasant art forms • Rock climbing • Scuba diving • Hang gliding

  22. Biology of Sensation Seeking • Interactions between neurotransmitter systems • Dopamine systems • Reward-driven learning, pleasure/euphoria • Serotonergic systems • Mood, memory, sleep, cognition • Gonadal hormones • Sexual maturation

  23. Biology of Sensation Seeking • Rat models • Exploratory behavior: novelty seeking • High responders (HR): high locomotor reactivity • More self-administration of amphetamines than low responders • Increased levels of catecholamine after stressor

  24. Biology of Sensation Seeking • Research with human participants • Relationship between Disinhibition & Experience Seeking scores of SSS-V and dopamine/serotonergic systems • High SS: lower cortisol responses • High SS: high stress resistance, higher threshold of sensitivity to aversive stimulation, lower hypersensitivity & lower irritability

  25. Biology of Sensation Seeking • Association between gonadal hormones & scores on SSS • Males: Disinhibition scores related to androgen & estrogen levels • Females: Disinhibition scores related to follicular & luteal estrogens

  26. Reliability of SSS-V(Deditius-Island & Caruso, 2002) • Reliability generalization study • Analysis of typical reliability scores & factors associated with variability • Subscale with lowest reliability: Boredom Susceptibility • Mean of .62 & Median of .61 • Inadequate for all applications by any criterion

  27. Reliability of SSS-V(Deditius-Island & Caruso, 2002) • Older Ps tend to demonstrate scores with higher reliability for • ES, BS & overall • Scores for SSS-V scales are less reliable than would be desired • Many studies have omitted reliability coefficients for score means

  28. Reliability of SSS-V(Deditius-Island & Caruso, 2002) • Improvements are needed • Researchers seem to just assume that scores will be reliable because that is what has been indicated in previous samples (reliability induction problem)

  29. Important Implications • Reduce negative health consequences • Provide non-risky options that still provide adequate levels of arousal • Intervention programs

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