Need for Stimulation as a Factor in Preferences for Different Stimuli

Recent investigations have indicated that “reduction” on the kinesthetic aftereffects (KAE) procedure may indicate high levels of a putative need for stimulation (nStim), while “augmentation” on this procedure may indicate low levels of this motive. The present study supports the interpretation of the KAE task as a measure of nStim by indicating that “reducers” on this measure (a) react favorably to complex auditory and visual stimuli and (b) expose themselves particularly frequently to complex and intense stimulation in their ongoing social activities.