Measures Of Sensation Seeking Research Articles

Are you a spontaneous traveler? Effect of sensation seeking on tourist planfulness in the mobile era.

Drawn upon optimum stimulation level theory, and in view of the impact of mobile terminal usage on tourist decision-making, the present study aims to investigate how personality (i.e., sensation seeking) influences tourist trip planning behavior (i.e., tourist planfulness) in the mobile era. A sample of 344 respondents in China completed measures of sensation seeking, travel risk perception, smartphone usage, as well as tourist planfulness. Results indicated that sensation seeking was negatively associated with tourist planfulness and travel risk perception partially mediated this association. Besides, both the direct effect of sensation seeking on tourist planfulness and the indirect effect of travel risk perception were moderated by smartphone usage, in that these effects were stronger for tourists with a high-level of smartphone usage than those with low-level smartphone usage. This study can significantly advance existing research on tourist behavior from the perspective of personality and reconfiguring our traditional understanding on tourist decision-making in the mobile era. Our study may also provide indicative support for theoretical perspective that information technology is changing customer behavior.

Sensation seeking and cyberbullying among Chinese adolescents: Examining the mediating roles of boredom experience and antisocial media exposure

Although various personality traits have been suggested as possible risk factors for development of cyberbullying among adolescents, research attempts to identify which traits are most influential in promoting cyberbullying and the processes that underly this relationship are few in number. As sensation seeking is a personality trait that has been found to be relevant to a number of problem behaviors, it was selected for closer examination. The present study additionally examined boredom experience and antisocial media exposure as mediators in the relationship between sensation seeking and cyberbullying. The sample consisted of 725 Chinese adolescents, aged from 11 to 15 years (42.76% girls), who completed measures of sensation seeking, cyberbullying, boredom experience, and antisocial media exposure. The bias-corrected bootstrap method was employed to test several proposed multiple mediation models. After controlling for participants' gender and grade, sensation seeking not only directly predicted cyberbullying but also predicted cyberbullying through three indirect paths by the mediating role of (1) boredom experience, (2) antisocial media exposure and (3) the chain mediating role of boredom experience and antisocial media exposure. The present study highlights the complex nature of the association between adolescents’ sensation seeking and cyberbullying. The limitations and implications of this study are discussed.

Food Preferences and Dark-side Personality Traits

This study investigated the association between a variety of taste preferences and the Dark Triad personality traits. We noted over twenty studies that linked personality to taste/beverage preference and experience. In this study just under 200 participants completed a personality and food preference questionnaire. Results demonstrated that dark side traits accounted for around ten percent of the variance in tastes, including bitter and sweet as well as alcohol and coffee strength preferences. For a number of the taste preference measures sensation seeking and harm aversive personality traits were particularly influential in determining taste preferences. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.

Psychometric properties of the French version of Brief Sensation Seeking Scale (B-SSS)

IntroductionA French version of the Briefing-Sensation Seeking Scale (B-SSS) (Hoyle et al., 2002) was developed according to a process of double reverse translation. ObjectiveTwo studies were then led to validate the psychometrics properties (validity and the reliability) of this French version of the B-SSS. MethodsIn the first study, 97 participants (14–24years old) answered the original version (in English) and the translated version (in French). In the second study, 124 participants (14–24years) answered the French version at two times measurement. Psychometrics analyses brings together reliability indices (Cronbach's alpha and temporal stability) and concurrent validity indices. ResultsFor both studies, Cronbach alphas were used to assess internal consistency, while intraclass coefficients (ICC) demonstrated temporal stability. In the second study, Pearson correlations between the French version and the ImpSS supported concurrent validity. Reliability is acceptable in the first study (α=.601 in, 674; ICC=.550–.895) and satisfactory in the second study (α=.734–.755; ICC=.650–.948). Pearson's correlation of the French version of the B-SSS and the ImpSS varies between .658 and .754. ConclusionPsychometrics properties of the French version of the B-SSS show that this scale can be used to measure sensation seeking with teenagers and for young adults.

Sensation seeking and nonsuicidal self-injurious behavior among adolescent psychiatric patients

The Benefits and Barriers model of NSSI postulates that engagement in NSSI is positively reinforced by potent benefits, however there are a host of barriers to engagement, any one of which is salient enough to prevent engagement. It is possible that individual differences in sensation seeking, a trait that describes optimal level of positive reinforcement, may alter the balance between the benefits and barriers of engagement in NSSI. There are significant associations between engagement in NSSI and sensation seeking in college undergraduates, a population with disproportionately high rates of NSSI. However, it is unclear whether these traits play a similar role in adolescents. We expected that higher levels of sensation seeking would positively relate to any NSSI history, lifetime frequency of NSSI, and earlier age at onset of NSSI among a sample of 200 adolescents in a psychiatric hospital. Consistent with previous research, results indicated that females were more likely to engage in NSSI than males. Additionally, increased sensation seeking was associated with greater likelihood of ever engaging in NSSI and a greater number of different NSSI methods tried. Though we expected sensation seeking would be significantly related to lifetime NSSI frequency and earlier onset of NSSI, it was not. Findings suggest that individual differences may alter relations between the benefits and barriers of NSSI and that measuring sensation seeking in adolescents, especially females, and especially those experiencing psychological distress, may identify those at highest risk for engaging in NSSI and may allow for targeted intervention with these individuals.

Direct and indirect effects of functional and dysfunctional impulsivity on sensation seeking in youth (19-25 years old)

This study was focused on the relationships between sensation seeking, functional and dysfunctional impulsivity in youth. The aim of this study was to investigate the direct and indirect effects of functional and dysfunctional impulsivity on sensation seeking in youth controlled for gender and age in the group of 19–25-year-old. Radoslavova & Velichkov’s (2005) self-report paper-and-pencil questionnaire was used to measure sensation seeking, functional and dysfunctional types of impulsivity among 764 students. Dysfunctional impulsivity was directly and indirectly related to sensation seeking mediated by functional impulsivity and being statistically controlled for age and gender. Functional impulsivity also was directly and indirectly related to sensation seeking mediated by dysfunctional impulsivity with gender and age as controlled confound variables. Dysfunctional impulsivity had larger direct and indirect effects as a mediator on sensation seeking than the corresponding effects of functional impulsivity on sensation seeking controlling for age and gender. These findings suggest the possibility for existence of some deficiencies in the speed, accuracy, and effectiveness of processing information, making decisions, and implementing actions during the search for optimal stimulation among youth.

Relationship Between Sensation Seeking and Attitude on Reckless Riding Behavior in Jabodetabek, Indonesia

Transportation needs are increasing along with traffic problems, such as traffic accidents, congestion, and density of motorized vehicles. In Indonesia, especially in its large, crowded cities, accidents involving two-wheeled motorized vehicles are frequent. Human factors such as personality and behavior are a cause of accidents involving careless driving. Additionally, sensation seeking and the attitude toward reckless behavior influence the reckless behavior of motorcyclists in Indonesia, especially in the Jabodetabek area. Methods: data were obtained through a self-report questionnaire. The 69 participants (F:40, M:29) were motorbike riders aged 18–35 years who had an Indonesian driving license type C and had ridden a motorcycle daily for a minimum of 2 years. The questionnaire comprised 17 items that measured sensation seeking and attitudes toward reckless riding. Prerequisite for mediating the relationship among the variables, sensation seeking must correlate with attitudes and reckless riding such that the attitude variable that is a mediator must also correlate with reckless riding. Therefore, in this study, the mediating effect of attitudes in the relation between sensation seeking and reckless riding was tested. Our result demonstrates that’s influence of reckless riding attitude as a partial mediator between sensation seeking and reckless riding.

Are psychological distress, substance misuse, and sexual sensation seeking associated with autoerotic asphyxiation-related distress?

Autoerotic asphyxiation (AEA) involves enhancing sexual arousal by deliberately self-inducing a reduction of oxygen to the brain. Most studies of AEA have focused on those who have expressed distress or who have died from the practice. The present study explores correlates of AEA-related distress in a community sample, focusing on self-reported measures of psychological distress, substance misuse, and sexual sensation seeking. Individuals who expressed an interest in AEA ( n = 165) participated in an online anonymous survey. Findings revealed a significant positive association between AEA-related distress and symptoms of depression, and a significant negative association between AEA-related distress and sexual sensation seeking. Both depression and sexual sensation seeking remained associated with AEA-related distress at the multivariate level. The findings are consistent with prior literature on AEA that suggests comorbidity with depression and highlights the importance of psychological screening when people present to clinicians due to AEA, particularly for depression. Contrary to our hypothesis, those with higher sexual sensation seeking reported lower levels of AEA-related distress. Future research on AEA-related distress may benefit from using a sexual sensation seeking measure that better assesses sexual dysregulation.

Relations between adolescent sensation seeking and traffic injury: Multiple-mediating effects of road safety attitudes, intentions and behaviors

Objective: Road traffic injuries to youth are a serious global public health concern. One contributor to adolescent injury risk is the tendency to engage in sensation seeking behaviors. The current study examined how sensation seeking personality might directly influence adolescent traffic injury, as well as how it might indirectly influence traffic injury as mediated by road safety attitudes, intentions, and behaviors.Methods: 4470 adolescents of 10–15 years were recruited from 29 primary and secondary schools in China. Youth completed several self-report questionnaires, including measures of sensation seeking, road safety attitudes and intentions, and road user behaviors. Spearman correlations and logistic regression tested the direct effects of sensation seeking, road safety attitudes, road behavior intentions, and road user behaviors on traffic injury. Structural Equation Modeling evaluated a multiple mediation model of road safety attitudes, intentions, and behaviors as mediators of the association between sensation seeking and adolescent traffic injury.Results: Correlation coefficients between traffic injury and the other variables ranged from 0.01 to 0.15, with moderate relations emerging between adolescent traffic injury and most other variables. Logistic regression analysis showed that Disinhibition sensation seeking, road safety attitudes, and road user behaviors predicted adolescent traffic injury significantly (OR = 1.03, 0.35, 2.99, respectively). The multiple mediation model analysis indicated that, after controlling for adolescent gender and age, most paths were significant: both road safety attitudes and road user behaviors mediated the association between Disinhibition and traffic injury, and road safety attitudes, road behavior intentions, and road user behaviors sequentially mediated the relation between Disinhibition and traffic injury.Conclusions: There were direct effects of Disinhibition sensation seeking, road safety attitudes, and road user behaviors on adolescent traffic injury. Sensation seeking also indirectly affected adolescent traffic injury through multiple mediating roles of road safety attitudes, intentions, and behaviors. Implications for traffic injury prevention and training are discussed.

Examining children's ability to delay reward: Is the delay discounting task a suitable measure?

AbstractDiscounting the value of delayed rewards has primarily been measured in children with the delay of gratification task and in adolescents and adults with the delay discounting task. In the present study, we assessed the suitability of the delay discounting task as a measure of temporal discounting in children. A sample of 7‐ to 9‐year‐olds (N = 98) completed a delay discounting task, a delay of gratification task, a sensation seeking measure, and IQ measures. In addition, teacher‐based assessments of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder traits were measured. The results indicated that the majority of children produced meaningful data on the discounting task and discounted rewards hyperbolically. Children with an elevated risk of attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder showed a trend towards discounting future rewards on the delay discounting task more steeply than did those at low risk. However, delay discounting was unrelated to either delay of gratification or sensation seeking. We interpret these results as providing some support for the use of delay discounting as a measure of intertemporal choice in children, although the results also suggest that delay discounting and delay of gratification tasks may tap different processes in this population.

Factor structure validation, psychometric evaluation and measurement invariance testing of the Brief Sensation Seeking Scale-Chinese (BSSS-C) in Indian adolescents.

Self-report measures of sensation seeking though commonly used in research have not undergone factor structure or psychometric validation in Indian adolescents. The Brief Sensation Seeking Scale - Chinese (BSSS-C; Chen et al., 2013) is a less culture specific tool with excellent psychometric properties and presents a suitable option for use with Indian adolescents. The present study aims to validate the factor structure, evaluate the psychometric properties, and examine the gender invariance of the BSSS-C in Indian adolescents. A community sample of adolescent, n = 2079, with mean age 17 years (SD = 1.71) completed the BSSS-C, the BIS/BAS, and the Adolescent Risky Behaviour scales. The four factor structure of the BSSS-C exhibited good to excellent model fit, acceptable internal consistency reliability (α = 0.77) and, adequate construct as well as concurrent validity in Indian adolescents. Invariance testing revealed that the factor configuration and factor loadings of the BSSS-C were equivalent across the gender. Three of the four BSSS-C latent factors were amenable for mean comparisons across the gender. BSSS-C is a reliable measure of the four dimensional model of sensation seeking in Indian adolescents. The gender differences in the BSSS-C factors are attributable to real differences in sensation seeking construct between male and female adolescents.

A life history approach to understanding juvenile offending and aggression

Abstract Life history theory has been used to understand how harsh and unpredictable environments contribute to risk behaviors. The theory suggests that exposure to negative environments leads individuals to adopt a “fast” life strategy, which is hypothesized to make individuals more likely to engage in risky behavior that is associated with immediate rewards. Using data from a sample of 1216 justice-involved male youth, we defined distinct groups of youth with a “fast” versus “slow” life strategy, based on their scores on measures of sensation seeking, impulse control, future orientation, consideration of others, and suppression of aggression. A logistic regression was used to test how different environmental factors predicted LH strategy group membership. Having a fast strategy was associated with greater victimization, higher parental hostility, and lower quality home environments. Growth curve models were used to examine group differences in offending and aggression over five years. Youth with a fast life strategy engaged in more violent and non-violent offending, as well as more relational and physical aggression. Although there were significant decreases in these behaviors within both groups over the five years, these group differences remained consistent over time.

Quantifying Behavioral Sensation Seeking With the Aroma Choice Task.

Our goal was to develop a behavioral measure of sensation seeking (SS). The Aroma Choice Task (ACT) assesses preference for an intense, novel, varied, and risky (exciting) option versus a mild, safe (boring) option using real-time odorant delivery. A total of 147 healthy young adults completed 40 binary choice trials. We examined (1) intensity and pleasantness of odorants, (2) stability of responding, (3) association with SS self-report, and (4) association with self-reported illicit drug use. Participants' preference for the "exciting" option versus the safe option was significantly associated with self-reported SS (p < .001) and illicit drug use (p = .041). Odorant ratings comported with their intended intensity. The ACT showed good internal, convergent, and criterion validity. We propose that the ACT might permit more objective SS assessment for investigating the biological bases of psychiatric conditions marked by high SS, particularly addiction. The ACT measures SS behaviorally, mitigating some self-report challenges and enabling real-time assessment, for example, for functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI).

Testing the stress-buffering hypothesis of sensation seeking in a controlled experimental setting

Because sensation seeking is characterized by a seeking of intense stimulation and novel sensations and experiences, previous studies have suggested that high sensation seekers are less impaired by stressful events. In the present study, we examined the extent to which sensation seeking has a stress-buffering effect in the context of working on a sustained attention task under changing noise conditions. We focused on direct stress outcomes, which were operationalized by parameters on three different levels of observation (subjective experience via self-reports, biophysiological parameters, and performance measures).Our findings only reveal the hypothesized buffering effect for self-reported negative affect. However, contrary to our hypothesis, we found no evidence for any stress-moderating effect of sensation seeking in objective data (biophysiological parameters and performance measures) and self-reported stress experience. These findings were independent from the inventory we used to measure sensation seeking.

The Measure Matters

Abstract. Several inventories have been developed to measure sensation seeking (SS), and each of these inventories has been based on an individual theoretical concept of the construct. However, most studies assessing SS disregarded the large theoretical diversity and have treated the measures as interchangeable. The goal of this research was to identify common and distinctive dimensions of SS across the different measures. Subsequent goals were to reveal similarities and differences in what is measured by the various subscales, to provide differential correlates of these dimensions, and thereby to analyze which of the subscales can or should not be used interchangeably. We administered the five most relevant SS measures ( Sensation Seeking-Scales Form V [SSS-V], Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking [AISS], Need Inventory of Sensation Seeking [NISS], the Impulsive Sensation Seeking [ImpSS] scale, and the Novelty Seeking scale) to a sample of adolescents ( N = 318) in a cross-sectional design. Second-order factor analyses of the measures’ subscales revealed three distinct facets: impulsive sensation seeking, intensity seeking, and stimulation seeking. The specific correlational patterns between the facets and external measures of impulsiveness, the Big Five, and social desirability supported the factorial differentiation. We characterize the necessary distinctions between the facets of the SS measures and recommend to not use them interchangeably. The best indicators of each SS measurement facet are discussed.

The association between sensation seeking and driving outcomes: A systematic review and meta-analysis

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between sensation seeking (SS) and driving outcomes (including four aberrant driving behaviors, accident involvement and tickets received) through a systematic review and meta-analysis. Forty-four eligible studies, representing 48 individual trials, were identified from a systematic literature search of four electronic databases, and included in the meta-analysis. Overall, the meta-analysis results showed that SS yielded significant positive correlations with risky driving (pooled r = 0.24, p < 0.001), aggressive driving (pooled r = 0.23, p = 0.019), and errors (pooled r = 0.22, p = 0.016). SS was also positively correlated with accident involvement (pooled r = 0.08, p < 0.001) and tickets received (pooled r = 0.19, p < 0.001), though at weaker levels. The correlations could also be moderated by a number of study and sample characteristics, such as country of origin, publication year, age, gender, driving experience and type of SS measure. The findings help facilitate our understanding of the role of SS in aberrant driving behaviors and accident risk, and provide new insight into the design of evidence-based driving education and accident prevention interventions.

Chronic sleep loss and risk-taking behavior: Does the origin of sleep loss matter?

ABSTRACTBackground: Many adolescents and young adults get insufficient sleep. A link between sleep loss and risk-taking behavior has been consistently found in the literature, but surprisingly, the role played by the origin of sleep loss in this link has never been investigated. Sleep loss can be voluntary (instead of sleeping, a significant amount of time is devoted to other activities) or involuntary (caused by a sleep disorder, for example, insomnia). The aim of this research was to investigate whether both types of sleep loss are associated to the same extent with risky behavior. Participants: Five hundred thirty-six university students between 19 and 25 years old participated in this study. Three groups were selected: participants with voluntary sleep loss, participants with insomnia, and normal sleepers. Methods: We assessed risk-taking behavior in virtual driving situations, as well as drinking habits in terms of quantity and frequency. To further explore the differences between the groups, we also measured sensation seeking, a personality trait related to risk-taking behavior. Results: Compared to participants with insomnia and normal sleepers, participants with voluntary sleep loss take more risks in dangerous driving situations, drink more alcohol, and have higher disinhibition scores on the Sensation-Seeking Scale. On the other hand, no such differences were found between participants with insomnia and normal sleepers, suggesting that sleep loss is not always associated with risk taking. Conclusions: Whether sleep loss is associated with risk-taking behavior or not could depend on the origin of sleep loss and the underlying personality traits.

The development of the Humor Structure Appreciation Scale and its relation to Sensation Seeking Inventory and Need for Closure Scale

Three related studies are presented with the aim of investigating the individual differences in humour appreciation, sensation seeking and need for closure. In order to accomplish this, the construction and initial validation of a new instrument will be presented. The Humour Structure Appreciation Scale (HSAS) distinguishes between incongruity-resolution (INC-RES), and nonsense (NON) humour. The first study analyses the content validity of a broad item pool. The second study focused on the metric properties of the selected items. In the third study, the remaining jokes were given to a quota sample from Macedonia, along with measures of sensation seeking (Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking) and need for closure (Need for Closure Scale). Psychometric properties of the scales were investigated and showed to be satisfactory. Intercorrelations among the scales provide evidence for the construct validity of the HSAS.

Individual Differences in Transportation into Narrative Drama

Transportation, the experience of feeling “transported” into a fictional world, differs widely across individuals. We examined transportation in 3 studies. Study 1 investigated links between individual differences in various measures of audience response, whereas the latter 2 studies examined links between trait measures (independent variables) and audience response (dependent variables). Study 1 found that individual differences in self-reported transportation to a film explained variation in virtually all other dependent measures, such as identification with characters, emotion, and attribution of blame for the protagonist's struggles. Group bonding after watching the film was nonlinearly related to endorphin response (as measured by pain threshold), and transportation related to these variables as well (although more weakly). Study 2 found that individual differences in celebrity worship predicted transportation, as well as tendency to identify with the characters and approve of their behavior. Study 3 demonstrated that individual differences in trait measures of sensation seeking and empathy independently predicted viewers’ transportation in 2 very different film genres. Transportation measures for both films were highly correlated, suggesting that tendency to be transported may be less genre-specific than other dependent measures. Altogether, these results illustrate the usefulness of individual differences approaches in the psychological study of fiction.

With risk may come reward: Sensation seeking supports resilience through effective coping

Sensation seeking is often considered a risk factor for negative psychosocial outcomes. Our research challenges this view, testing a model in which sensation seeking is associated with psychological resilience, with this relationship mediated by coping. Two-hundred-and-sixty-eight respondents completed measures of sensation seeking, experiences of trauma, coping, perceived resilience, subjective wellbeing, and perceived stress. Sensation seeking was directly and indirectly positively associated with the psychological resilience markers of life satisfaction, positive affect, and (lower) perceived stress through problem-focused coping in those who had experienced trauma. Sensation seeking was also positively related to greater perceptions of resilience. Based on the results it is argued that sensation seeking increases resilience by decreasing stress responses and increasing individual's resources to manage adversity. Results highlight the need to consider sensation seeking as a multifaceted construct that can support healthy development through building resilience.