A comparison of impulsivity and sensation seeking in pathological gamblers and skydivers

The aim of this study was to compare pathological gamblers and skydivers in relation to measures of impulsivity and sensation seeking. The Eysenck Impulsivity Scale - Narrow Impulsiveness Subscale and the Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking were administered to pathological gamblers (n = 29), skydivers (n = 93), and a control group (n = 43). A two-way multivariate analysis of variance was conducted to explore differences in impulsivity and sensation seeking between the groups and possible group by gender and group by age interaction effects. The significant effects were further investigated using follow-up univariate analysis of variance. The results showed significant main effects of Group, Gender and Age, and a significant Group by Gender interaction effect. The results showed no statistically significant differences in impulsivity between pathological gamblers and skydivers; however, both groups scored higher than the controls. The skydivers scored higher compared to the pathological gamblers and controls on both sensation seeking subscales. Pathological gamblers scored higher than the controls on the subscale Need for Stimulus Intensity, although lower than the controls on the subscale Need for Novelty. We conclude that skydivers and pathological gamblers do not seem to differ in terms of impulsivity, but that the two groups differ in terms of sensation seeking. Skydivers are hence characterized by more sensation seeking compared to pathological gamblers. Skydiving, as opposed to pathological gambling, is not considered a psychiatric disorder, and skydiving may represent a more non-pathological way to fulfill the need for stimulus intensity.     

Sensation seeking, impulsive decision-making, and risky sex: implications for risk-taking and design of interventions

In an HIV prevention study, 2949 ninth-grade students in 17 high schools in two Midwestern U.S. cities were administered scales measuring sensation seeking and impulsive decision-making and their separate and combined relationships to a number of indicators of sexual risk-taking. Measures of sexual risk-taking included intentions to have sex, ever had sex, number of lifetime sexual partners, been pregnant or caused a pregnancy, used a condom, used marijuana, had unwanted sex when drunk, had unwanted sex under pressure, said no to sex, used alcohol or partner used alcohol before sex. Strong associations were observed between each of the measures and sexual risk-taking for most of the indicators. Strongest associations were found among sexually active students high on both sensation seeking and impulsive decision-making and weakest associations among students low on both measures. Implications for design of interventions in health campaigns are discussed.     

Intensity seeking and novelty seeking: Their relationship to adolescent risk behavior and occupational interests

The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that individual differences in sensation seeking account for adolescents’ risk behavior and vocational interests. We relied on Arnett’s (1994) conceptualization of sensation seeking as involving a need for intensity and a need for novelty, neither of which includes the willingness to take risks. Self-report scales measuring intensity seeking, novelty seeking, impulsiveness, risk behavior and vocational interest were administered to 636 adolescents. New scales measuring intensity seeking (IS) and novelty seeking (NS) were used. Regression analyses showed that IS and to a lesser extent NS accounted for a small part of variance of risk behavior, independent of impulsiveness. IS and NS accounted for vocational interests. The discussion emphasizes the importance of disentangling sensation seeking as a trait from willingness to take risks when one intends to analyse the effect of the former on risk behavior.     

Personality and risk-taking: common biosocial factors

The first part of this article describes a study of the relationships between personality and risk-taking in six areas: smoking, drinking, drugs, sex, driving, and gambling. The participants, 260 college students, were given self-report measures of risky behaviors in each of the six areas and the Zuckerman-Kuhlman five-factor personality questionnaire. Generalized risk-taking (across all six areas) was related to scales for impulsive sensation seeking, aggression, and sociability, but not to scales for neuroticism or activity. Gender differences on risk-taking were mediated by differences on impulsive sensation seeking. The second part discusses biological traits associated with both risk-taking and personality, particularly sensation seeking, such as the D4 dopamine receptor gene. the enzyme monoamine oxidase, and augmenting or reducing of the cortical evoked potential. Comparative studies show relationships between biological markers shared with other species and correlated behaviors similar to sensation seeking in humans. A biosocial model of the traits underlying risk-taking is presented.     

Social support as a mediator in the relation between sensation seeking (need for stimulation) and psychological adjustment in older adults

This article investigates the potential role of social support as a mediator between sensation seeking (in the sense of a basal need for stimulation) and psychological adjustment in older adults. A sample of 325 individuals aged between 65 and 95 years were tested using questionnaires, which assess social support, sensation seeking, global self-worth, sense of coherence, and satisfaction with life. Path analyses provided support for a mediator model in which the relationship between sensation seeking and psychological adjustment was fully mediated by social support (the path coefficient between sensation seeking and psychosocial adjustment declines from β = .27 to β = .02, when adding an indirect path mediated by social support). Findings further suggest that this mediation effect was independent of sex and age. The study demonstrates the relevance of measuring sensation seeking as a personality trait in older adults.     

Mediational effects of sensation seeking on the age and financial risk-taking relationship

The current study examined the potential mediating role of sensation seeking in the well-established negative relationship between age and financial risk-taking. A total of 299 participants, aged 17–90 years, allocated hypothetical money into mutual funds that varied in risk and completed a sensation seeking measure. Hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that the amount of variability age accounted for in risk-taking (4.1%; β = −.22) was significantly reduced when sensation seeking was controlled for (0.8%; β = −.12). A Sobel test revealed that sensation seeking fully mediated the aforementioned relationship. Results suggest sensation seeking’s role as a mediator in more physiologically arousing risk-taking contexts (e.g., surfing). Discussion recommends investigating potential biologically and cognitively-rooted mediators and moderators of the age and risk-taking relationship.     

影响感觉寻求人格特质的生物遗传因素

综述了感觉寻求人格特质的生物遗传机制的相关研究。主要从3个方面对该问题进行了探讨：（1）单胺类物质与感觉寻求人格特质的关系;（2）激素对感觉寻求人格特质的影响;（3）感觉寻求人格特质的生物遗传性     

未成年犯童年期受虐待程度与攻击行为的关系：有调节的中介模型

采用问卷法对广东省未成年犯管教所417名男性未成年犯进行调查,考察了自尊在未成年犯童年期受虐待程度与其攻击行为关系间的中介效应,以及感觉寻求在其中的调节作用。结果发现：（1）在控制了年龄、家庭月收入和父母受教育水平后,童年期受虐待程度可显著正向预测攻击行为;（2）自尊在童年期受虐待程度与攻击行为之间起部分中介作用;（3）感觉寻求显著调节自尊对攻击行为的影响,间接效应对于低感觉寻求的个体不显著,对于高感觉寻求的个体显著。     

小鼠新颖寻求特质对酒精的运动激活效应的影响

新颖寻求(或感觉寻求)特质与许多成瘾药物的易感性密切相关。例如, 高、低新颖寻求动物对可卡因、苯丙胺和吗啡等成瘾药物的奖赏、运动激活、强化效应的反应存在差异。长期饮用酒精也容易成瘾, 但尚未发现关于新颖寻求特质影响酒精成瘾的报道。本实验采用药物成瘾研究中常用的自发活动模型, 考察了高、低新颖寻求动物在酒精急性处理、慢性处理和激发过程中的行为表现。实验过程中首先采用两种新颖寻求模型, 即新颖环境中自发活动模型和新颖客体偏爱模型, 将昆明小鼠分别区分为高、低自发活动组和高、低新颖客体偏爱组, 连续10天给予酒精(2g/kg/d, i.p.)或等量盐水处理, 戒断2天后所有小鼠接受酒精(2g/kg)激发。实验结果表明, 新颖环境低自发活动小鼠比新颖环境高自发活动小鼠对酒精急性、慢性处理导致的运动激活效应更敏感; 在酒精激发期前者的自发活动水平也高于后者。本实验结果说明新颖环境中自发活动特质影响动物对酒精导致的运动激活效应的反应。     

Sex differences moderate decision making behaviour in high impulsive sensation seekers

We tested whether individuals with high levels of impulsive sensation seeking learn to choose advantageously in a specific decision-making context. One hundred twenty-eight participants (73 female) completed a neuropsychological task, the variant version of the Iowa Gambling Task (vIGT; Bechara, Tranel, & Damasio, 2000), in which individuals must select cards from decks that offer high initial losses if they are to eventually make a profit. The selection from decks of cards that led to the highest profit as the task progressed was higher in high, compared to low, impulsive sensation seekers. However, learning to choose advantageously was moderated by sex of participant. Specifically, compared to females, male high impulsive sensation seekers learned more quickly to make consistent selections from the advantageous decks despite the large immediate losses. Overall, the data support the hypothesis that insensitivity to loss due to impulsive sensation seeking can lead to financial gain.     

感觉寻求、同伴压力对高中生烟酒使用的影响

对来自山东日照市两所普通高中1~3年级的689名学生进行问卷调查,考察感觉寻求、同伴压力（包括烟酒使用同伴压力与其他同伴压力）对高中生烟酒使用的影响,以及同伴压力的调节作用。结果表明：（1）感觉寻求、烟酒使用同伴压力对高中生烟酒使用有正向预测作用,其他同伴压力也能显著预测其饮酒行为。（2）烟酒共用同伴压力调节感觉寻求和高中生烟酒共用间的关系,只有在高烟酒共用同伴压力下感觉寻求才会显著预测烟酒共用;饮酒同伴压力也调节感觉寻求和高中生饮酒间的关系,只有在高饮酒同伴压力下高感觉寻求者才会有较多饮酒行为;其他同伴压力无此调节作用。（3）吸烟同伴压力不能调节感觉寻求和高中生吸烟间的关系。     

The effect of age and sensation seeking on pedestrian crossing safety in a virtual reality street

A wide range of individual, interpersonal and environmental factors influence the safety of pedestrians crossing the street, including human development (children take more risks than adolescents and adults) and sensation seeking (individuals higher in sensation seeking have greater risk). The interaction between those two variables has not been carefully studied, however. Does the effect of sensation seeking on pedestrian safety vary across human development as cognitive and other skills improve? This study investigated the primary effects of age and sensation seeking, plus their joint effects, on pedestrian crossing in a virtual reality environment. 209 children (10–13 years old), adolescents (14–18 years old) and young adults (20–24 years old) screened to be high and low level in sensation seeking participated. A 3 (age group: child vs adolescent vs young adult) × 2 (sensation seeking: high vs low) × 2 (traffic condition: easy vs harder crossing) mixed factorial design was conducted. Three pedestrian safety outcomes – start delay, missed opportunities and dangerous crossings – were considered. Results showed that when the traffic condition was easier to cross within, the start delay to enter traffic gaps was significantly shorter for children than for adolescents and young adults. There were no significant differences across age groups when the traffic condition was harder to cross within. Pedestrians also missed more opportunities to cross the road when the traffic condition was harder to cross within. Pedestrians low in sensation seeking missed more opportunities to cross than those high in sensation seeking. All age groups had more dangerous crossings during the harder crossing scenario than in the easier one, and adolescents had more dangerous crossings than young adults or children. Finally, the results of hierarchical regression models predicting dangerous crossings showed that traffic condition had a significant predictive effect on children's dangerous crossing behavior, and both high sensation seeking and harder traffic conditions predicted adolescents’ dangerous crossing behavior. No included variables significantly predicted adults' dangerous crossing behavior. We conclude that both age and sensation-seeking contribute to pedestrian safety. The effect of sensation seeking does not vary widely by age group, but its effect on adolescents was somewhat stronger than in the other age groups studied.     

感觉寻求对工读生病理性网络使用的影响机制

采用感觉寻求量表、压力性生活事件量表、非适应性问卷和病理性网络使用量表对519名工读生进行调查,考察了工读生病理性网络使用的情况以及感觉寻求对工读生病理性网络使用的影响及作用机制。结果表明：（1）工读生病理性网络使用的比例为51.1%,工读生病理性网络使用的问题很严重;（2）感觉寻求对工读生病理性网络使用的影响是有中介的调节效应,具体而言,感觉寻求会增加工读生病理性网络使用;压力性生活事件对感觉寻求与工读生病理性网络使用之间关系具有调节作用;压力性生活事件的调节效应以非适应性认知为中介变量。研究结果对工读生病理性网络使用的预防和干预具有重要价值。     

Sensation seeking, recognition memory, and autonomic arousal

Substantial evidence shows that sensation seeking impacts memory; however, research has not examined how sensation seeking impacts automatic familiarity and conscious-controlled recollection memory systems. The present study (N = 80) examined high and low sensation seekers’ familiarity and recollection of high and low arousal images with negative valence using behavioral and skin conductance measures. Low sensation seekers had more accurate familiarity judgments to high than low arousal images, reflecting a heightened aversive motivational system. High sensation seekers showed an opposite pattern with memory enhancement for low arousal images, regardless of old-new status. The lack of any sensation seeking effects in relation to recollection judgments suggests that this personality trait is more influential on automatic than conscious controlled memory systems.     

中小学生感觉寻求量表的编制与应用

通过文献分析和实证研究,构建了中小学生感觉寻求的理论维度,并据此编制了中小学生感觉寻求的测量量表。以14,560名中小学生为有效被试,对量表进行了探索性因素分析和验证性因素分析后表明:中小学生感觉寻求包含两个维度,即兴奋与冒险寻求、去抑制,所构建的中小学生感觉寻求理论体系比较合理,中小学生感觉寻求量表具有较好的信度和效度,可以作为中小学生感觉寻求研究的测量工具。我国中小学生感觉寻求特点同国外研究结果表现出大体相同趋势。兴奋与冒险寻求、去抑制,以及综合感觉寻求水平,男生均显著高于女生。从年级发展趋势看,中小学生感觉寻求水平总体上逐年增高。     

Person × environment interactions on adolescent delinquency: Sensation seeking,peer deviance and parental monitoring

Sensation seeking is a personality trait that is robustly correlated with delinquent behavior in adolescence. The current study tested specific contextual factors hypothesized to facilitate, exacerbate or attenuate this risk factor for adolescent delinquency. Individual differences in sensation seeking, peer deviance, parental monitoring and self-reported delinquent behavior were assessed in a sample of 470 adolescents. Peer deviance partially mediated the effects of sensation seeking and parental monitoring on adolescent delinquency. We also found evidence for a three-way interaction between sensation seeking, peer deviance and parental monitoring, such that the highest rates of delinquency occurred from the concurrence of high sensation seeking, high peer deviance, and low levels of parental monitoring. Results highlight the importance of considering peer- and family-level processes when evaluating personality risk and problematic adolescent behavior.     

社交网站支持对大学生社交网站成瘾的影响:有调节的中介模型

探讨社交网站支持对大学生社交网站成瘾的影响机制.采用社交网站支持量表、感觉寻求量表、错失恐惧量表和社交网站成瘾量表对501名大学生进行调查.结果发现:(1)社交网站支持正向预测大学生社交网站成瘾;(2)错失恐惧在社交网站支持与大学生社交网站成瘾间起部分中介作用;(3)感觉寻求调节了社交网站支持对大学生社交网站成瘾的影响...     

The link between sensation seeking and aggression: a meta-analytic review

Substantial empirical evidence supports low resting heart rate (HR) as the best replicated psychophysiological correlate of aggression [Ortiz and Raine, 2004]; however, researchers continue to debate the explanatory mechanisms of the phenomenon. Sensation seeking has been proposed as a possible outcome of low resting HR that may lead to aggressive tendencies but findings have been inconsistent in terms of showing a relationship between sensation seeking and aggression. A meta-analysis was conducted on 43 independent effect sizes, from studies with a total of 32,217 participants, to test the hypothesis that sensation seeking would be positively related to aggression across studies. A significant overall effect size was found (d = .1935, P<.001), supporting the hypothesis. Moderator analyses revealed that the relationship differed based on participant and methodological characteristics, such as participant age and the nature of the aggression measurement; however, these conclusions are limited by the uneven number of studies in many of the moderator classes. Overall, the findings provide support for higher levels of aggression in high sensation seekers and have theoretical implications for arousal theory. Further research on the links between arousal, sensation seeking and aggression can inform clinicians about potential interventions.     

Associations between sexual sensation seeking and AIDS-related knowledge,attitudes and behaviors among young men who have sex with men in China

Young men who have sex with men (YMSM) have become high risk groups for HIV infection in China. Recent researches suggest that sexual sensation seeking is significantly associated with AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes and behaviors, but the relationship is not clear in the field of YMSM in China. The present study aimed to evaluate the relationship between sexual sensation seeking and AIDS-related knowledge, attitudes, and behaviors among YMSM in China. A cross-sectional study was conducted in Wuhan, China from May to November 2013. 403 YMSM were recruited and 373 of them completed the questionnaire. Regression analyses indicated that YMSM with high sexual sensation seeking score are more likely to have low awareness of knowledge and negative attitude about condom use, as well as more risky sexual behaviors.     

Women’s perception of men’s sensation seeking propensity from their dance movements

Risk-taking behaviour in men, an expression of the more general personality trait sensation seeking, has been hypothesized to be an evolved aspect of male psychology that arose through sexual selection. Sensation seeking could be seen as a costly behavioural trait that signals a man’s health and vigour and is preferred by women. This study extends knowledge about risk-taking as a cue in human mate choice by examining whether women can perceive men’s sensation seeking propensity (assessed with the Sensation Seeking Scale Form V; SSS-V) by viewing their dance movements. We videotaped 50 men’s dancing and had 60 women judge each dancer on perceived attractiveness and risk-taking. A positive and significant correlation was found between women’s attractiveness judgements and male’s SSS-V total score, thrill and adventure seeking, disinhibition and boredom susceptibility. Further, women’s risk-taking judgements were related to men’s boredom susceptibility. We conclude that (i) male sensation seeking propensity is signalled via their dance movements, and (ii) women are sensitive to these cues as they consider men who score high on sensation seeking as attractive. We discuss our results with reference to the evolutionary psychology concept of sexual selection and mate preferences.