Sensation Seeking

Sensation seeking focuses on the need for new and varied experiences through disinhibited behaviour, these include, dangerous activities, a non-conventional lifestyle, and a rejection of monotony. Sensation seeking has been shown to correlate highly with accident involvement. One of the main reasons put forward for this comes from the fact that it is a mutually reinforcing activity, i.e. if the consequence of an action, like a crime, causes positive affect within the perpetrator it is likely to be repeated, (e.g. Lecoeur et al., 1997). Therefore, if an episode of risky driving elicits a 'high' within the driver it is conceivable that the driver attempt to repeat the episode in order to achieve the same, or similar, feeling of elation.

Research has suggested that there is a variance between adolescents and adults with levels of sensation seeking, (Trimpop, Kerr & Kirkaldy, 1998). As Arnett, Offer & Fine, (1997) found, when paired with aggressiveness, sensation seeking was also seen to correlate highly with risky driving behaviour. In particular, adolescents rated highly as being aggressive sensation seekers were shown to drive faster when alone, or with friends, in comparison to when their parents were present in the vehicle. Whereas sensation seekers of all ages were observed to drive significantly closer to vehicles in front, when compared to those drivers rated as being low in sensation seeking, thereby reducing safe braking distance, (Heino, Van der Molen, & Wilde, 1996). Sensation seeking has also been seen to correlate highly with drink driving, (McMillen et al. 1992). However, driving recklessness through sensation seeking has not been isolated to adolescents. Other studies have shown it to extend and persist as strongly into other age brackets, e.g. 23 to 27 year old males, (Arnett, 1991).

Respondents are being asked a number of questions related to sensation seeking. These questions were taken from Arnett’s Inventory of Sensation Seeking (Arnett, 1994), and have proved a proved a valid and reliable measure when correlated with other measures of sensation seeking (e.g. Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale Form V revised, 1994).

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