Sensation seeking: cognitive and psychophysical correlates

Abstract

The large body of research on exploratory behaviour, early isolation, sensory deprivation, and sensory overload has suggested the hypothesis that organisms seek an optimal level of stimulation from their environment. Recently several attempts have been made to quantify individual differences with respect to stimulus needs as well as to provide constructs which might account for these differences. Zuckerman, Kolin, Price, and Zoob (1964) devised a Sensation Seeking Scale in an attempt to measure the construct "optimal stimulation level".