The Sensation Seeking Scale as a Predictor of Need for Sensory Stimulation

Transcription

1 Western Michigan University ScholarWorks at WMU Master's Theses Graduate College The Sensation Seeking Scale as a Predictor of Need for Sensory Stimulation John C. Hocking Jr. Western Michigan University Follow this and additional works at: Part of the Geography Commons Recommended Citation Hocking, John C. Jr., "The Sensation Seeking Scale as a Predictor of Need for Sensory Stimulation" (1967). Master's Theses This Masters Thesis-Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate College at ScholarWorks at WMU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Master's Theses by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks at WMU. For more information, please contact maira.bundza@wmich.edu.

2 THE SENSATION SEEKING SCALE AS A PREDICTOR OF NEED FOR SENSORY STIMULATION by p 1 ' John Cl Hocking, J r. I A Thesis Submitted to the F acu lty of th e School of Graduate S tudies in p a r t ia l fu lfillm e n t of the Degree o f M aster of A rts I W estern Michigan U niversity Kalamazoo, Michigan Ju ly 1967 R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

3 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The experim enter wishes to express h is sin cere a p p re c ia tio n to Dr. Malcolm Robertson fo r h is guidance and p a tie n t a s sista n c e in th is re se a rc h. The experim enter i s indebted to Dr. Chris Koronakos and n r. E. Jack Asher fo r th e ir co n stru c tiv e c ritic is m s and sugg estio n s concerning t h i s paper. S p ecial mention i s due the experim enter*s w ife, Helen L orraine, who provided a id and continuous encouragement. John C. Hocking, J r. i R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

4 MASTER'S THESIS M-1286 HOCKING, Jr., John Charles THE SENSATION SEEKING SCALE AS A PREDICTOR OF NEED FOR SENSORY STIMULATION. Western Michigan University, M.A., 1967 Psychology, clinical 1 University Microfilms, Inc., Ann Arbor, Michigan R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

5 TaHLE of contents CHaPTER Page I INTRODUCTION... 1 I I METHOD... 6 S u b jects... 6 A p p a r a tu s Procedure... 8 I I I RESULTS IV DISCUSSION V SUMMaRT VI REFERENCES VII APPENDICES... 2b Appendix A k Appendix B Appendix C Appendix D Appendix E R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

6 I INTRODUCTION Recent re se a rc h in c u r io s ity, ex p lo rato ry, and m anipulatory behavior has suggested th a t much behavior seems to be d ire c te d a t in c re asin g a s w ell a s decreasing sensory stim u la tio n. Experim ental stu d ie s u t i l i z i n g anim als such a s mice (Barnes, Kish and Wood, 1959), r a t s (G irdner, 1953J K ish, 1955? Marx, Henderson and R oberts, 1955) f and rhesus monkeys (Fox, 1962), have dem onstrated th e re in fo rc in g e f f e c ts o f lig h t onset and l ig h t increm ent. Changes in e ith e r d ire c tio n o f lig h t in te n s ity have a ls o been found rew arding to r a t s (Berlyne and Koenig, 1961;) and monkeys (Moon and Lodahl, 1956). In studying the e f fe c ts of a u d ito ry stim u la tio n on r a t s, Barnes and Kish (1961) have shown th a t both th e onset o f low a u d ito ry stim u la tio n and the term in atio n of in te n se au d ito ry stim u la tio n can be re in fo rc in g. These ex p eriments suggest th a t n o t only decrement b u t a ls o increm ent in e x te rn a l sensory stim u la tio n i s rew arding to anim als. The fa c t th a t both decrem ents and increm ents in sensory stim u la tio n a re sought by organisms has led to th e development of the concept o f optim al stim u la tio n (Leuba, 1955) and seme m o d ificatio n s o f i t (Hebb, 1955j B erlyne, 1960j Fiske and Maddi, 196lj Duffy, 1962; and S ch u ltz, 1965). Leuba concluded from some of the stu d ie s mentioned above th a t an organism w ill make those responses which s h if t th e le v e l o f o v e ra ll incoming stim u la tio n away from extrem ely low or high 1 R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

7 in te n s itie s. C iting rese arch on th e fu n ctio n s of th e r e tic u la r a c tiv a tin g system and o f c o r tic a l a ro u sa l, Hebb (1955) has argued s im ila rly fo r an optim al le v e l o f a ro u sa l. The stu d ie s reviewed by Hebb suggest th a t the RaS re g u la te s senscuy stim u la tio n in p u t and o u tp u t, and i s resp o n sib le f o r m aintaining an optim al le v e l of continuous and changing sensory stim u latio n upon which c o r tic a l a ro u sa l i s dependent. According to Hebb, when sensory in p u t to the RaS i s low and consequently c o r tic a l aro u sa l i s low, the organism w ill re p e a t those responses which produce in creased stim u la tio n and corresponding higher a ro u sa l. On th e o th er hand, excessive in n erv a tio n o f c o r tic a l a ro u sa l caused by in te n se sensory bombardment d isru p ts behavior. Schultz (1965) has suggested th a t c u r io s ity, ex p lo rato ry, and m anipulatory behavior are b eh av io ral mechanisms aimed a t a common g o al, the maintenance of optim al v a ria tio n o f sensory in p u t. Schultz has p o stu la te d the concept of s e n s o r is ta s is, a d riv e s ta te in which a constant range of v a rie d sensory in p u t i s su stain ed in order th a t c o r tic a l a ro u sa l may be m aintained a t an optim al le v e l. Hence an organism w ill attem pt to m aintain th e ap p ro p riate le v e l of c o r tic a l aro u sal by e ith e r in creasin g or decreasing incoming sensory stim u la tio n. Optimal le v e ls of stim u la tio n which f a c i l i t a t e behavior may s h if t a s fu n ctio n s o f ta sk and su b ject v a ria b le s. According to S ch u ltz, conditions o f sensory r e s t r i c t io n and sensory bombardment a re d isru p tiv e of th e s e n s o r is ta tic b alan ce. R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

8 Consequently, when th ere i s considerable sensory overload, the organism w ill a c t to reduce stim u latio n to a le v e l conducive to i t s c u rren t b eh av io r. Conversely, when th e re i s a la c k of incoming sensory stim u la tio n, a s in sensory d e p riv a tio n experim ents, the organism w ill a c t to in crease a v a ila b le forms of stim u la tio n. Data from th ese sensory d e p riv a tio n experim ents suggest th a t human su b je c ts dem onstrate a need fo r stim u la tio n. Thus, Bexion, e t. a l. (19%k) found th a t th e ir su b je c ts became bored w ith th e d e p riv a tio n environment and lis te n e d to recorded messages to which th ey would n o t o rd in a rily l i s t e n, in clu d in g old stock m arket re p o rts, re p e titio n s of the song, Home on the Range,1* and ta lk s fo r sm all c h ild re n on th e dangers o f a lc o h o l. S ubjects in Vernon and McGill*s (I960) study were p erm itted to push a b u tto n illu m in a tin g a viewing box co n tain in g a U na and two c ir c le s. These in v e s tig a to rs hypothesized th a t i f su b je c ts spent time viewing th e fig u re s, they were expressing a need fo r stim u la tio n. Those, su b jects which q u it before th e com pletion of 72 hours of sensory d e p riv atio n spent more time looking in to th e box than su b je c ts rem aining fo r th e e n tire experim ental p erio d. Zuckerraan and Haber (196U), found th a t su b je c ts who were stre s se d by a previous experience in p e rc ep tu al is o la tio n made s ig n ific a n tly more responses fo r v is u a l and a u d ito ry stim u la tio n than lo w -stre ss s u b je c ts. T o tal response measures in creased a s a fu n ctio n of time spent in is o la tio n. G oldstein (196 ) compared th e amount of tim e spent by confined R ep rod uced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

9 and nonconfined su b je c ts in b u tto n -p re ssin g fo r v is u a l and au d ito ry I stim u la tio n. S ubjects confined in sensory d e p riv atio n spent more tim e b u tto n -p ressin g th a n d id nonconfined s u b je c ts. A n sfield (196$)3 in comparing th e e f fe c ts of d iffe r e n t ty p es of i s o la tio n environm ents, has suggested th a t motor a c tiv ity em itted during is o la tio n seemed to r e f l e c t e f f o r ts by su b je c ts to augment or supplement th e p a r tic u la r type of sensory stim u latio n a v a ila b le. He found th a t s ig n if ic a n tly more motor a c tiv ity was em itted by s u b je c ts experiencing dark and q u ie t co n d itio n s during is o la tio n th an by su b je c ts experiencing more s tru c tu re d, y e t in v a ria n t, audiov is u a l conditio n s. Thus re se a rc h w ith anim als and humans suggests th a t under co n d itio n s o f r e s t r i c t e d stim u la tio n, organisms w ill attem p t to in c re ase th e le v e ls and ty p es of sensory stim u la tio n and thereby a rriv e a t an optim al le v e l o f stim u la tio n. Zuckerraan*s ( I 96I4.) S ensation Seeking Scale (SSS) was developed to q u a n tity th e concept of optim al le v e l of stim u la tio n. The SSS i s a forced-choice paper and p e n c il q u estio n n aire which measures p referen ces fo r such item s a s in te n s itie s in sen satio n (h e a t, cold, n o ise, t a s t e, and c o lo rs ), f a m ilia r ity a s opposed to n o v elty, ro u tin e a s opposed to ir r e g u la r ity, and s e c u rity a s opposed to ad v en tu re, and th u s measures an in d iv id u a ls needn fo r stim u la tio n. Zuckerman ly p o th esiz e d th a t an in d iv id u a l who scares high on th e SSS has a high "need f o r stim u la tio n and consequently seeks a r e la tiv e ly high le v e l o f sensory stim u la tio n, which would be h is R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

10 optim al le v e l. An in d iv id u a l who sco res low on th e SSS has a lower need fo r stim u la tio n and h is optim al le v e l of stim u la tio n i s low er. Zuckennan, s publish ed re se a rc h shows th a t th e SSS has moderate r e l i a b i l i t y (r* s a.68 and,7k fo r college males and fem ales, re s p e c tiv e ly ), and has a s ig n if ic a n t negative c o rre la tio n w ith an a n x ie ty in v en to ry. The p re se n t study attem pted to c la r if y th e p re d ic tiv e q u a litie s o f th e SSS a s an in d ic a to r of in d iv id u a l "need fo r stim u la tio n. In order th a t th e need fo r stim u la tio n could be measured q u a n tita tiv e ly, su b je c ts in th is experim ent were p erm itted to b u tto n -p re ss fo r v is u a l, a u d ito ry, and k in e s th e tic stim u la tio n w hile in d e p riv atio n. Assuming th a t b u tto n -p re ssin g by the su b je c ts w hile in d ep riv atio n would r e f l e c t th e ir need fo r s tim u la tio n, th e experim enter hypothesized th a t th e t o t a l b u tto n -p re sse s would be r e la te d to in d iv id u a l ' needs fo r stim u la tio n as in d ic a te d by th e SSS. T herefore, high sco re rs on th e SSS, because of th e ir "need" fo r stim u la tio n, would be c h a racte riz e d by more b u tto n -p ressin g a c tiv ity w hile in d ep riv a tio n. The low s c o re rs, because of t h e i r lower need fo r stim u la tio n, would d isp lay le s s b u tto n -p ressin g a c tiv ity. In a d d itio n, h ig h sco re rs were a ls o compared w ith low sco re rs i n I term s of p references f o r types o f stim u la tio n. R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

11 METHOD S ubjects Zuckerman*s S ensation Seeking Scale (See Appendix A) was adm inistered to 211; male stu d en ts e n ro lle d in th re e undergraduate psychology courses a t W estern Michigan U n iv ersity. From t h is d is tr ib u tio n the 1$ h ig h est sco rers and the 1$ low est sc o re rs on the SSS were i n i t i a l l y s e le c te d a s experim ental s u b je c ts. The in a b ility of some in d iv id u a ls to serve a s su b je c ts n e c e s sita te d seven su b situ tio n s. These were made fo r th re e high need su b je c ts and fo r fo u r low need su b je c ts by s e le c tin g a v a ila b le su b je c ts in successive scoring o rd er. The mean sco res on the SSS of th e high need group and the low need group were 23.3 (S.D..90) and 8.0 (S.D ), re sp e c tiv e ly. (See Appendix B) I Apparatus a sm all is o la tio n cubicle (91 long, 6* wide, 7* high) in clu d in g a bed was used fo r the experim ent. The cubicle was lo c ate d in th e subbasement of a colleg e classroom b u ild in g. The in te r io r of th e cubicle was dark and extraneous au d ito ry stim u li was masked by th e blower noise of an a ir-c o n d itio n in g u n it. While i n the d ep riv a tio n room su b je c ts were ab le to in d ic a te when they wanted v is u a l, a u d ito ry, and k in e sth e tic stim u la tio n by p ressin g a b u tto n u n it. piece of wood (3"x 6'*x Three d o o r-b e ll b u tto n s were mounted on a which su b je c ts were encouraged to p lace 6 R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission. ;

12 on the bed beside them selves. In o rd er th a t th e b u tto n s could be d istin g u ish e d in th e d ark, one in d e n ta tio n -was made on th e v is u a l s tim u li b u tto n, two in d e n ta tio n s on th e a u d ito ry s tim u li b u tto n, and no in d e n ta tio n s on th e k in e s th e tic s tim u li b u tto n which was in the middle p o s itio n. These stim u la tio n -re q u e st b u tto n s were connected to th re e in d ic a to r lig h ts lo c a te d in th e experim enter*s room a d jacen t to the c u b ic le. These l i g h t s, powered by an Eveready I g n ito r Dry C ell ( I f v o l t ), n o tifie d th e experim enter when th e su b je c t was p ressin g th e b u tto n s re q u e stin g stim u la tio n. The in d ic a to r lig h ts were s itu a te d on the desk a t which th e experim enter s a t throughout the experim ental p e rio d. The experim enter *s room was dark except fo r an Amplex (10 w att) lig h t which illu m in ate d th e d ata sh e e t. V isual s tim u li c o n siste d of illu m in a tio n o f th e d e p riv a tio n cubicle by a Penetray*s M otorized Color Wheel illu m in a te d by a l 0 w att r e f le c to r s p o tlig h t. The c o lo r wheel ro ta te d amber, b lu e, green, and re d a t k rpm. This u n it was lo c a te d on a stand a t th e fo o t of the bed* When th e v is u a l s tim u li b u tto n was p ressed by th e s u b je c t, th e experim enter a c tiv a te d th e colo r wheel by a to g g le sw itch, a n Amperite Delay Relay sw itch (H 5clfj) lim ite d the le n g th of tim e which the lig h t would rem ain on in th e cu b icle to 1$ seconds. A re d flo u re scen t in d ic a to r lig h t (1/3 w att) enabled the experim enter to know when the co lo r wheel was o p eratin g. A uditory stim u li c o n sisted of four piano notes which were played through a 6-in c h speaker lo c ate d near th e head of th e bed. R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

13 These n o tes were recorded on a c irc u la r tap e which was played on a Concord 320 tap e re c o rd e r. The tape was played fo r 15 seconds, one re v o lu tio n, each tim e th e a u d ito ry stim u la tio n -re q u e st b u tto n was p re sse d. S ubjects were given in s tru c tio n s to r e s t r i c t th e i r movements to a minimum. Whenever they pressed the k in e sth e tic stim u la tio n - req u e st b u tto n, su b je c ts were p erm itted freedom of movement, both on and o ff th e bed. S ubjects were lim ite d to a 15 second p erio d of fre e movement p er b u tto n -p re ss. The experim enter n o tif ie d su b je c ts i by an inbercanm buzzer when th e 15 seconds had elap sed. Since the bed sp rin g s em itted squeaking n o ises which could be heard by th e experim enter, i t was p o ssib le to keep a reco rd of movements during p erio d s when th e k in e s th e tic b u tto n was n o t p re sse d. I Procedure The S ensation Seeking Scale (SSS) was adm inistered to 21b male undergraduate stu d e n ts a t W estern Michigan U n iv ersity. At th e time of adm inis tr a tio n th e SSS was explained a s a screening device which th e experim enter was using fo r researc h purposes. S u b jects were assig n ed to th e two experim ental groups by an a s s is ta n t to in su re th a t th e experim enter d id n o t know any p a r tic u la r s u b je c t s c la s s i f ic a tio n. The experim enter co n tacted by telephone th e 15 h ig h est sco re rs and th e 15 low est sco re rs on th e SSS. These in d iv id u a ls were inform ed th a t th e y had scored in th e range of a p a r tic u la r measure in which th e experim enter was in te re s te d. I f th e y agreed R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

14 to p a r tic ip a te a s su b je c ts f o r th e experim ent, they were to ld th a t th e ir p a rtic ip a tio n would re q u ire th re e hours because th e research involved sensory d e p riv a tio n. When the su b jects rep o rted in d iv id u a lly fo r the experim ent, th ey were met in the f i r s t flo o r hallw ay. Before going to the basement a re a where th e d e p riv a tio n room was lo c a te d, su b jects were advised th a t th ey would be occupied fo r a p erio d of time and th e re fo re should take care of t o i l e t needs. S ubjects were th en tak en to the basement a re a where th e SSS was readm inistered (rho = 93> see Appendix B) and a b r ie f q u estio n n aire prepared by the experim enter was completed. The q u estio n n aire (see Appendix C) included item s found s ig n ific a n t in previous stu d ie s a s w ell a s item s which the experim enter thought might d iffe r e n tia te between th e two groups. The follow ing in s tru c tio n s were read to the su b je c ts by the experim enter: l For th is experim ent you are asked to remain in the room fo r a p erio d of time n o t more than th re e hours or u n t i l you v o lu n ta rily leav e. You are asked to l i e on the bed in the supine p o s itio n, th a t i s, on your back. You a re to stay awake. P lease keep movements to a minimum and do n o t t a l k. You w ill be able to g et sev e ra l forms of stim u latio n i f you push a c e rta in b u tto n. I f you push th e b u tto n w ith one mark on i t, a lig h t w ill go on fo r a p erio d of tim e. I f you push the b u tto n w ith two marks on i t, tones w ill be played fo r a p erio d of tim e. I f you push th e b u tto n in th e middle p o s itio n, you a re perm itted to move from th e supine p o s itio n fo r a p erio d o f tim e. You may move around or g et o ff the bed u n t i l a buzzer i s sounded. When the buzzer sounds, p lease re tu rn to the supine p o s itio n on the bed. The use o f the b u tto n s i s e n tir e ly up to you. This experiment i s not an endurance t e s t o r a t e s t of w ill-pow er. People r e a c t in many ways and th e re i s no c o rre c t p a tte rn fo r which we are looking. The experim enter w ill rem ain next door in the observation room throughout th e experim ent. You w ill not R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

15 be h a rt in any way. Do you. have any quest io n s V S ubjects were given dem onstrations of each form o f stim u la tio n. W rist watches were removed so th a t su b je c ts would be unable to t e l l how much tin e had elapsed. Data were c o lle c te d in order th a t th e b u tto n -p ressin g behavior of th e su b je c ts w hile in d ep riv a tio n could be q u a n tifie d. The th re e hour p erio d was div id ed in to 18 te n minute u n its and th e b u tto n -p ressin g responses were accum ulated fo r each te n minute in te rv a l. At the com pletion of th e th re e hour p erio d th e experim enter ta lk e d in fo rm ally w ith th e s u b je c ts. The purpose o f th e experim ent was n o t explained to s u b je c ts. They were asked n o t to d iscu ss th e experim ent w ith anyone. R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

16 RESULTS Data were c o lle c te d in order th a t the b u tto n -p re ssin g responses which high need and low need su b jects made during d e p riv a tio n could be compared. Term ination by two low need su b jects before the com pletion of the th re e hour experim ental p erio d lim ite d comparisons to the f i r s t two hours o f d e p riv a tio n. A summary o f th e s t a t i s t i c a l a n a ly s is of the d iffe re n c e in to t a l b u tto n -p ressin g responses between the two groups i s p resen ted in Table 1. Table 1 Test of S ig n ifican ce between T otal Button P resses o f High Ne,ed and Low Need S ubjects Mean S.D. - SD t High Need U6.32 Low Need The obtained t-v a lu e was not s ig n ific a n t a t th e,0j? le v e l of confidence. Thus,the hypothesis th a t th ere was no d iffe re n c e in t o t a l b u tto n -p resse s fo r stim u la tio n by the high need and the low need groups was n o t re je c te d a t th e.0$ le v e l of s ig n ific a n c e. However, th e high need group showed s ig n ific a n tly more v a r ia b ility than th e low need group (F 1*.U5, df*lij.,llt, p <.0 1 ). Comparisons of th e b u tto n -p re sses by high and low need su b je c ts fo r each type of stim u la tio n were made to see i f th ese responses would d if f e r e n tia te between the two groups. Table 2 summarizes 11 R ep rod uced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

17 12 during i^he f i r s t two hours of d e p riv a tio n. Table 2 T ests o f S ig n ifican ce between Mean Responses o f High Need and Low Need Ss High Need Low Need Stimulus Mean S.D. s Dx Mean S.D. SDx t Visual U6 9.U Auditory 3iw U.U Kinesthetic OU Ut 3.U These t-v a lu e s were n o t s ig n ific a n t a t the.05 le v e l of confidence. Thus, th e responses of th e two groups fo r th e th re e ty p es o f stim u la tio n d id not d if f e r. In order to explore th e e ffe c ts of e a rly term in atio n of two low need s u b je c ts, estim ates of th e ir responses i f they had contin u e d th e e n tire experim ental p erio d were computed. Responses by th ese su b je c ts in the th ir d hour were p ro je c te d by averaging t h e i r mean responses fo r th e f i r s t two hours. This procedure r e s u lte d in no change i n th e r e s u lts. (See Table 3, Appendix: D) Although th e response measures did n o t s ig n if ic a n tly d if f e r e n tia te between high and low need s u b je c ts, g rap h ical re p re se n ta tio n s o f th e responses of th e two groups suggest th a t th e re were some d iffe re n c e s over tim e. Each group*s mean response output p er te n minute in te rv a ls fo r v is u a l, a u d ito ry, and k in e sth e tic stim u la tio n a re shown in F ig u res 1, 2, and 3, re sp e c tiv e ly. R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

18 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. Ed CO co s li.o High Need Low Need Low Need (projected) lj.0 $0 1st UO 0 2nd hr hr TIME IN DEPRIVATION Figure 1. Mean buttcon-pressing responses for visual stimulation. hr

19 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. CO 6 -i o V / CO B S3 k.o High Need ' Low Need» Low Need (p ro jected ) i s t UO 50 2nd *0 5o 3rd h r h r hr TIME IN DEPRIVATION Figure 2. Mean button-pressing responses for auditory stimulation.

20 Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission. U.O ko 50 1s t h r 1 «----- * 1 30 ko 50 2nd 10 h r TIME IN DEPRIVATION Figure 3. Mean button-pressing responses for kinesthetic stimulation. High Need « «Low Need * * Low Need (p ro jected ) * * j i i i t Uo 50 3r d h r 4 vn.

21 1 While th e graphs suggest some d iffe re n c e s, in sp e c tio n o f Table 16 U (see Appendix E) in d ic a te s th a t th e responses o f two high need su b jects account fo r most of the d iffe re n c e s between the two groups. The ex clu sio n of th ese two su b je c ts would r e s u lt in a rev erse e f f e c t5 w ithout them th e mean responses of the high need group would be lower than the mean responses of the low need group. The responses of one low need su b ject fo r v is u a l and k in e s th e tic stim u la tio n ra ise d the mean responses o f th e low need group. To determ ine whether th e re were p referen ces fo r any sensory m odality, th e p ercentages o f each in d iv id u a l* s responses fo r v is u a l, a u d ito ry, and k in e s th e tic stim u la tio n i n r e la tio n to h is t o t a l b u tto n -p resses were computed. P reference was defined a s more than $0% of t o t a l b u tto n -p re sse s. None of th e high need su b jects showed a preference fo r v is u a l s tim u la tio n, two su b je c ts p re fe rre d au d ito ry stim u la tio n, and s ix su b je c ts p re fe rre d k in e s th e tic stim u la tio n. S ix low need su b je c ts p re fe rre d v is u a l stim u la tio n, none p re fe rre d a u d ito ry stim u la tio n, and one su b ject p re fe rre d k in e sth e tic stim u la tio n. None of th e q u estio n n aire item s d iffe r e n tia te d between th e high and low need groups a t th e. 0$ le v e l o f confidence. 0n3y one item, smoking, showed any sig n ific a n c e to th e SSS a t th e.10 le v e l of confidence. That i s, more high need su b je c ts, in comparison to low need s u b je c ts, d id smoke. R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

22 DISCUSSION The concept of optim al stim u la tio n a s w e ll a s re c e n t ex p erim ental stu d ie s suggests th a t su b jects in sensory d ep riv a tio n w ill attem pt to in crease a v a ila b le forms of s tim u la tio n to an optim al le v e l, Zuckerman s S ensation Seeking Scale was designed to q u a n tity th e concept of optim al stim u latio n. He hypothesized th a t the SSS measures an in d iv id u a l s "need fo r stim u latio n ; in d iv id u als who score high on the SSS have a higher need fo r stim u la tio n than in d iv id u als who score low. The experim enter hypothesized th a t high sco rers on the SSS, due to th e ir higher need fo r stim u la tio n, would respond more fo r stim u la tio n while i n d ep riv atio n than low s c o re rs, who have a lower need fo r stim u latio n. Since the s t a t i s t i c a l comparison between the t o t a l b u tto n -p ressin g responses of high need and low need su b je c ts was n o t s ig n ific a n t, th e hypothesis was n o t su b sta n tia te d. High need su b je c ts did n o t b u tto n -p ress fo r stim u latio n s ig n ific a n tly more th an low need s u b je c ts. Comparisons of th e b u tto n -p resses by su b je c ts fo r each type of stim u latio n d id not d if f e r e n tia te between the two groups. In term s o f in d iv id u a l p referen ce fo r th e th re e sensory m o d alities, more of the high need su b jects p re fe rre d kin esth e tic to v is u a l o r au d ito ry stim u la tio n, and more low need su b jects p re fe rre d v is u a l to a u d ito ry or k in e sth e tic stim u la tio n. In th e absence of any research d ire c te d toward th i s d iffe re n c e, one can 17 R ep rod uced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

23 only speculate a t th is p o in t as to why k in e sth e tic stim u la tio n i s p re fe rre d by high n e e d 1su b je c ts and v is u a l stim u la tio n i s p re fe rre d by low need su b je c ts. The lack of s ig n ific a n t r e s u lts suggests th a t th e SSS does not measure "need fo r stim u la tio n. On the o th er hand, c e rta in fa c to rs in th e experim ental design of t h i s study might account fo r the fa ilu r e of the SSS to p re d ic t in d iv id u a l "need" fo r stim u la tio n. The fa ilu re of the t o t a l b u tto n -p ressin g response r a te s to in crease as a fu n ctio n o f time spent in d ep riv atio n r a is e s the questio n of whether s a tis fa c to ry sensory' d e p riv a tio n was a tta in e d. Since previous research (Vernon and M cgill, I960; Zuckerraan and Haber, 1965) has dem onstrated th a t b u tto n -p ressin g in c re a se s as a fu n ctio n of d ep riv a tio n tim e, the r e s u lts of t h i s study suggest th a t the period of d e p riv a tio n was not of s u ffic ie n t len g th to i n i t i a t e the need f o r sensory stim u la tio n. Previous stu d ie s have used longer d ep riv atio n p erio d s, in seme cases up to two weeks. The deprived environment may have been more to le ra b le than the experim enter a n tic ip a te d. P rio r in s tru c tio n s a s to th e req u ired length of stay in d ep riv a tio n may have s ig n ific a n tly a ffe c te d to le ra tio n (F ran cis, I 96I4.). S ubjects were to ld th a t the experim ental p erio d would n o t ex:ceed th re e hours. The in s tru c tio n s given su b jects may have f a ile d to n e u tra liz e such co g n itiv e s e ts a s perceiv in g the b u tto n -p ressin g s itu a tio n a s an endurance t e s t or a t e s t of "w ill-pow er (Zuckerman and Haber, 1965). Another explanation could be o ffered fo r the fa ilu r e of th is R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

24 study to d if f e r e n tia te between high and low need su b je c ts. Zubek (1963) has commented, "The performance o f e x ercise s may provide s u ffic ie n t v a r ia b ility of k in e s th e tic and p ro p rio cep tiv e stim u la tio n to co u n teract most o f th e e f f e c ts o f unvar ying stim u la tio n from th e v is u a l and a u d ito ry sense m o d a litie s." Complete r e s tr i c t i o n o f movement m ight have y ie ld e d d iffe r e n t r e s u l t s. That i s, w ithout k in e s th e tic s tim u la tio n to compensate fo r th e d ep riv a tio n of v is u a l and au d ito ry s tim u la tio n, th e h ig h need su b je c ts m ight have compensated by a h ig h er r a te o f b u tto n -p re sse s. Only one of th e q u estio n n aire item s, smoking, showed any sig n ific a n c e to th e SSS. H ull and Zubek (1962) found th a t su b je c ts who reg ain ed i n is o la tio n f o r a f u l l week were more lik e ly to be nonsmokers. This study te n ta tiv e ly supported th e ir conclusion a t th e.10 le v e l of confidence. That i s, more high need su b je c ts, in comparison to low need s u b je c ts, d id smoke. In summary, th e re was no d iffe re n c e i n t o t a l b u tto n -p re sse s fo r stim u la tio n by th e high need and the low need groups. Comp a riso n of th e b u tto n -p re sse s by high and low need su b je c ts fo r each type o f stim u la tio n d id n o t d if f e r e n tia te between th e two groups. In term s o f in d iv id u a l p re fe re n c e, more o f the high need su b je c ts p re fe rre d k in e s th e tic to v is u a l o r au d ito ry stim u la tio n, and more o f the low need s u b je c ts p re fe rre d v is u a l to a u d ito ry or k in e s th e tic stim u la tio n. E ith e r th e SSS does n o t measure "need" fo r stim u la tio n o r c e rta in fa c to rs in the experim ental design may have accounted fo r th e lack o f s ig n if ic a n t r e s u lts. R ep rod uced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

25 SUMMA.KC This experim ent was designed to c la r if y the p re d ic tiv e q u a lit i e s of Zuckerraan*s S ensation Seeking Scale a s an in d ic a to r of in d iv id u a l "need" fo r stim u la tio n. The SSS was adm inistered to 211; male undergraduate psychology stu d en ts a t W estern Michigan U n iv ersity. From th is d is trib u tio n the 15 h ig h e st sc o re rs and the l low est sco rers on the SSS were s e le c te d a s experim ental s u b je c ts. These su b jects were placed in d iv id u a lly in a sensory deprived environment fo r th re e hours. They were p erm itted to b u tto n -p ress fo r v is u a l, a u d ito ry, and k in e s th e tic stim u li w hile in d e p riv atio n. The experim enter hypothesized th a t the amount o f b u tto n - p ressin g would be r e la te d to in d iv id u a l needs fo r stim u latio n a s in d ic a te d by the SSS. High sc o re rs on the SSS, because o f th e ir higher "need fo r stim u la tio n, would show more b u tto n -p ressin g a c tiv ity w hile in d e p riv a tio n. Low sco rers on the SSS, because o f th e ir lower "need" fo r stim u la tio n, would d isp la y le s s b u tto n - p ressin g a c tiv ity. S t a t i s t i c a l comparisons of b u tto n -p ressin g responses made by high need and low need su b jects proved n o t s ig n if ic a n t. High need su b je c ts d id not b u tto n -p ress fo r stim u la tio n more fre q u en tly than low need su b je c ts. B utton-pressing responses fo r each type o f stim u la tio n f a ile d to d iff e r e n tia te between th e two groups. Some d iffe re n c e in sensory m odality p referen ce was noted as s ix high 20 R ep rod uced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

26 need su b jects p re fe rre d k in e sth e tic stim u la tio n and s ix low need su b jects p re fe rre d v isu a l stim u la tio n. A questionnaire including item s found s ig n ific a n t in previous stu d ies was given to su b je c ts. Only one item, smoking, showed any sig n ifican ce to the SSS. More high need s u b je c ts, in comparison to low need su b je c ts, smoked. R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

27 REFERENCES A n sfield, P. A m ethodological study o f is o la tio n : Some e f fe c ts upon a c tiv ity and p ercep tio n. D is se rta tio n A b stra c ts, 1965, 26(2 ), Barnes, G.W., K ish, G.B., and Wood, W.O. The e f fe c t o f lig h t in te n s ity when onset o r term in atio n o f illu m in a tio n i s used a s re in fo rc in g stim u lu s. Psychol. E e c., 1959, 9, Barnes, G.W., and Kish, G.B. R einforcing p ro p e rtie s o f the onset o f au d ito ry stim u la tio n. exp. P sy c h o l., 1961, 62, 161*-170. Berlyne, D.E. C o n flic t, A rousal, and C u rio sity. McGraw-Hill Book Company, I n c., i 960. B erlyne, D.E., and Koenig, I. Some p o ssib le param eters o f p h o tic reinforcem ent. Unpublished m anuscript, 1961*. Bexton, W.H., Heron, W., and S c o tt, T. E ffe c ts o f decreased v a ria tio n in the sensory environm ent. Canad. J. P sy c h o l., 1951*, 8, Duffy, E. A c tiv a tio n and Behavior. New York: John W iley and Sons, I n c.,' F iske, D.W., and Maddi, S.R. Functions o f V aried Experience. Homewood, : Dorsey P re ss, I 961. Fox, S. S elf-m aintained sensory in p u t and sensory d e p riv a tio n in monkeys: A b e h a v io ria l and neuropharraacological stu d y. J. comp, p h y sio l. P sy c h o l., 1962, 55, 1*38-14*1;. F ra n cis, R.D. The e f fe c t o f p r io r in s tru c tio n s and time knowledge on the to le r a tio n o f sensory is o la tio n. J. nerv. ment. P i s., 1964, 139(1), G irdner, J.B. An experim ental a n a ly sis o f the b eh av io ral e f fe c ts of a p e rc ep tu al consequence u n re la te d to organic d riv e s ta te s. Amer. P sy c h o lo g ist, 1953, 8, (A b stract) G oldstein, K.M. Stim ulus reinforcem ent during sensory d e p riv a tio n. P ercep t. Motor S k i l l s, 1965, 20, Hebb, D.O. D rives and the CNS(conceptual nervous system ). Psychol. R ev., 1955, 62, 21*3-251; R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

28 H u ll, J., and Zubek, J.P. P e rso n a lity c h a r a c te r is tic s of su ccessfu l and u n su ccessfu l sensory is o la tio n s u b je c ts. P ercep t. Motor S k i l l s, 1962, 11*, *0. K ish, G.B. Learning when the onset of illu m in a tio n i s used as re in fo rc in g stim u lu s. J. comp, p h y sio l. P sy chol., 1955, 1*8, *. Leuba, C. Toward some in te g ra tio n o f learn in g th e o rie s : The concept of optimal stimulation. Psychol. H ep., 1955, 1, Marx, M.H., Henderson, R., and R oberts, C. P o sitiv e re in fo rc e ment o f the b a r-p re ssin g response by a lig h t stim ulus, follow ing dark operant p r e te s ts w ith no a f te r - e f f e c ts. J. comp, p h y sio l. P sy c h o l., 1955, 1*8, Moon, L., and Lodahl, T. The re in fo rc in g e f f e c t of changes in illu m in a tio n on le v e r-p re ssin g in the monkey. Amer. J. P sy c h o l., 1956, 61*, S ch u ltz, D. Sensory R e s tric tio n : E ffe c ts on Behavior. New York: Academic Press, 1 Vernon, J., and M cgill, T. U tiliz a tio n of v is u a l stim u latio n during sensory d ep riv a tio n. P ercep t. Motor S t i l l s, i 960, 11, 211*. Zubek, J. C ounteracting e f fe c ts of p h y sical ex ercises performed during prolonged p ercep tu al d e p riv atio n. Science, 1963, 11*2, 5ol*-5o6. Zuckerman, M., K olin, E., P ric e, L., and Zoob, K. Development of a sen satio n -seek in g sc a le. co n su lt. P sy c h o l., 1961*, 62, Zuckerman, M., and Haber, M. Need fo r stim u latio n a s a source of s tr e s s response to p ercep tu al is o la tio n. J. abnorm. P sy chol., 70(5 ), R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

29 I APPENDIX A The follow ing item s were adapted from the S ensation Seeking Scale (Form I I ). Only item s found s ig n ific a n t fo r e ith e r males or both sexes were used. The number preceding each item in d ic a te s i t s number in Form 11. The boldfaced l e t t e r in d ic a te s the s e le c tio n scored in the sen satio n seeking d ire c tio n. 1. A. I would lik e a job which would req u ire a lo t o f tra v e lin g. I B. I would prefer a job in one location. 2. A. I am in v ig o rate d by a b ris k, cold day. B. I can t w ait to g et in to the indoors on a cold day. 3* A. I fin d a c e rta in p leasure i n ro u tin e kinds o f work. B. Although i t i s sometimes necessary I u su a lly d is lik e ro u tin e kinds o f work. It. A. I o fte n wish I could be a mountain clim ber. B. I can t understand people who r is k th e ir necks clim bing m ountains. I 5* A. I d is lik e a l l body odors. B. I lik e some of the earth y body sm ells. 6. A. I g e t bored seeing the same faces. B. I like the comfortable familiarity of eveiyday friends. 7. A. I lik e to explore a strange c ity or sectio n o f town by myself, even if it means getting lost. i B. I prefer a guide when I am in a place I don t know well. 2k R ep rod uced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

30 9. A. I would n o t lik e to t i y any drug which m ight produce 25 strange and dangerous e f fe c ts on me. B. I would lik e to t r y some o f the new drugs th a t produce h a llu c in a tio n s. 10. A. I would p re fe r liv in g in an id e a l so c ie ty where eveiyone i s sa fe, secure, and happy. B. I would have p re fe rre d liv in g in the u n s e ttle d days o f our h is to ry. 11. A. I sometimes lik e to do th in g s th a t are a l i t t l e f r ig h t ening. B. A sen sib le person avoids a c t i v i t i e s th a t are dangerous, ill. A. I f I were a salesman I would p re fe r a s tr a ig h t s a la ry, ra th e r than the r is k o f making l i t t l e or nothing on a commission b a s is. B. I f I were a salesman I would p re fe r working on a commissio n i f I had the chance to make more money than I could on a sala ry. 15. A. I would lik e to take up the sp o rt o f w ater sk iin g. B. I would not lik e to take up w ater sk iin g. 16. A. I don*t lik e to argue w ith people whose b e lie f s are sh arp ly d iv erg en t from mine, since such arguments are never reso lv ed. B. I fin d people th a t disagree w ith my b e lie f s more stim u la tin g th an people who agree w ith me. I R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

31 A. When I go on a t r i p I lik e to p la n ray ro u te and tim etab le f a i r l y c a re fu lly. B. I would lik e to take o ff on a t r i p w ith no preplanned or d e fin te ro u te s o r tim e ta b le s. 20. A. I would lik e to le a rn to f l y an a irp la n e. B. I would n o t lik e to f l y an a irp la n e. 21. A. I would n o t lik e to be hypnotized. B. I would lik e to have th e experience of being hypnotized. 22. A. The most im portant goal o f l i f e i s to liv e i t to the f u l l e s t and experience a s much o f i t a s you can. B. The most im portant goal of l i f e i s to fin d peace and happiness. 23. A. I would lik e to t r y parachute jumping. B. I would never want to t r y jumping out o f a p la n e, w ith or w ithout a p arach u te. 2h» Ar I e n te r cold w ater g rad u ally giv in g m yself time to g e t used to i t. B. I lik e to dive o r jump r ig h t in to th e ocean o r a cold pool. 26. A. I p re fe r frie n d s who are e x ritin g ly u n p re d ic ta b le. B. I p re fe r frie n d s who are r e lia b le and p re d ic ta b le. 27. A. When I go on a v acatio n I p re fe r th e com fort o f a good room and bed. B. When I go on a v acatio n I would p re fe r th e change of camping o u t. R ep rod uced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

32 i I 28. A. The essence of good a r t i s in i t s c l a r i ty, symmetry of 27 form, and harmoiy of c o lo rs. B. I o fte n fin d beauty i n the ' clash in g 1* c o lo rs and irr e g u la r forms o f modern p a in tin g s. 31. A. I p re fe r people who are em otionally expressiv e even i f th ey sure a b i t u n sta b le. B. I p re fe r people who a re calm and even tem pered. 32. A. A good p a in tin g should shock o r j o l t th e sen ses. B. A good p a in tin g should give one a fe e lin g of peace and s e c u rity. 33. A. 'When I f e e l discouraged I recover by re la x in g and having some soothing d iv e rsio n. B. When I f e e l discouraged I recover by going out and doing something new and e x c itin g. 3U. A. People who r id e m otorcycles must have seme k in d o f an unconscious need to h u r t them selves. B. I would lik e to drive o r rid e on a m otorcycle. R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

33 APPENDIX B Test and R etest Scores o f High and Low Need S u b jects on the SSS High Need Subject Test R etest D.B T.C. 23-2k S.C G.F J.H. 2it 26 D.H. 2k 25 L. J J.K J.P B.P B.R P.R C.S. 2k 12 D.T. 23 2k BoW. ' Low Need Subject T est R etest B.B. 8 7 B.B. 6 k D.B. 6 8 S.D T.D J.E L.H P.K R.K. 7 8 T.L G.M G.N. 8 D.T i G.T. 8 8 K.W. 5 $ l R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

34 APPENDIX C B iographical Questions i 1. How many c h ild re n a re th ere in your fam ily? 2. In what order in th e fam ily were you born? (C irc le one) i * How o f te n do you go to th e movies? (Check one) R egularly (3-U tim es p er month) Frequen tly (At le a s t once per month) O ccasionally (5-6 tim es per year) R arely (Once or tw ice in sev e ral y ears) Never 1*. How many hours do you watch T.V. p e r week? (C irc le one) More th an How o fte n do you read magazines, newspapers, or books? (Besides textbooks) D aily F requently (At le a s t once per week) R arely Never 6. Do you smoke? (Check one) Re g u la rly ( a t le a s t a pack per day) Frequently (At le a s t a pack p er week) O ccasionally R arely Never 7. In what e x tra c u rric u la r a c t i v i t i e s (sp o rts, clu b s, e t c.) did you p a r tic ip a te in high school? 8. What groups (sp o rts, clu b s, o rg a n izatio n s, e tc.) do you belong to now? 9. What kinds of p h y sical a c t i v i t i e s do you enjoy? (For example, w alking, rum iing, swimming, e tc.) 29 R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

35 APPENDIX D. TAble 3 Tests of Significance between Mean Responses of High Need and Low Need Ss daring Three Hours of Deprivation High Need Low Need S tim ulus Mean S.D. Mean S.D. t V isu al *2 18.1*1* 1* * 20.71* A u d ito ry 1* K in e s th e tic 361* , * * 22.31* R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

36 APPENDIX E Table 1* T otal B utton-p ressing Responses made by High Need S ubjects during th e F i r s t Two Hours o f D eprivation S ubject V isual A uditory K in esth etic D.B T.C S.C G.F J.H D.H L.J J.K J.P B.P B.R P.R C.S D.T B.W, 2 o ~ 3 la s 5Ht Uoi X = U R ep roduced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.

37 Table k (c o n t.) T otal H itton-p ressing Responses made by Low Need S ubjects during th e F i r s t Two Hours of D eprivation Subject V isual A uditory K inesthetic B.B. Uo k2 5 B.B. 2 2 P.B. 2k 6 $ S.D T.D J.E L.H P.K R.K T.L G.M G.N. 32 Hi 6 D.T. Ui G.T. bs 2 3 K.W. - I 8 ( 10 i. = U 238 t» R eproduced with perm ission of the copyright ow ner. Further reproduction prohibited without perm ission.