MEASURES REVIEWED HERE
1.Sensation-Seeking Scale (Form V) ( Zuckerman, 1994 )
2.Sensation-Seeking Scale (Form VI) ( Zuckerman, 1994 )
3.Impulsive Sensation Seeking Scale from ZKPQ (Zuckerman et al., 1993)
4.Impulsive Sensation Seeking Scale from ZKPQ 69-item Short Form ( Aluja, Garcı ´a, & Garcı ´a, 2003 )
5.ImpSS Scale from Cross-Cultural Shortened Form of the ZKPQ ( Aluja et al., 2006 )
6.Zuckerman /C0Kuhlman /C0Aluja Personality Questionnaire (Aluja et al., 2010b)
Other Sensation Seeking Scales
1.Novelty Seeking Scale ( Cloninger, Svrakic, Bayo ´n, & Przybeck, 1999 )
2.Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking ( Arnett, 1994 )
3.Brief Sensation Seeking Scale ( Hoyle, Stephenson, Palgreen, Lorch, & Donohew, 2002 )
OVER VIEW OF THE MEASURES
The first SSS used a forced-choice response format because of a concern about the influence of social desirabil-
ity, a response set of great concern at that time. Every item contained an A or B version, one representing a high
sensation seeking and the other a low sensation seeking choice. An attempt was made to word the items so that
the two choices seemed equally desirable or undesirable. The resulting scales did not correlate with social desir-
ability. Although this response form may have been unnecessary it did not seem to pose any problems for
respondents and was retained in subsequent Forms II through to Form V.
In accord with the initial focus on intensity of stimulation, 14 of the 54 items in Form I described a liking for
extremes of stimulation in various sensory modalities. Sixteen of the items described a desire to engage in excit-
ing or risky sports or activities or an adventurous as opposed to a secure life. Eight items described a liking for
novel as opposed to familiar stimuli, situations, or persons.
A General SS was constructed from the 22 items loading most highly on the unrotated first factor in both men
and women ( Zuckerman, 1994 ). Most of the items describing a preference or aversion to stimulus intensities of
simple sensory stimuli did not load on the general factor. Many of those pertaining to physical risk taking did
load on that factor and experience seeking items also did so.
The analysis of Forms I and II suggested that there might be subtraits or facets of the General factor that were
not expressed because of the paucity of items representing them. Exciting but risky sports and novelty seeking
were examples. In order to define these factors new items were written for the experimental SSS Form III. Form
III consisted of the 50 items from Form I plus 63 new items for a total of 113 items. The General scale in Form II
was replicated in analysis of the first unrotated factor, but both orthogonal and oblique rotations yielded four
factors that were similar in both men and women ( Zuckerman, 1994 ). These factors are described in terms of their
content:
Thrill and Adventure Seeking (TAS)
The items express a desire to engage in extreme sports that provide unusual and intense experiences, like sky-
diving, or more common sports that can provide intense sensations in their expression through speed and
extreme risk, like driving fast or skiing down extreme slopes. Most items are not phrased in terms of actual expe-
rience but in terms of desired experience.
Experience Seeking (ES)
The items describe seeking novel experiences through the mind and the senses as in music, art, travel, social
nonconformity and association with like-minded individuals and groups.
Disinhibition (Dis)
The items describe a desire to engage in disinhibited social behavior as facilitated by alcohol in parties and
impulsive sexual activities. A general item sums up the disinhibited attitude: ‘ I like to have new and exciting experi-
ences even if they are a little unconventional or illegal ’. This factor drew largely on new items not present in earlier
forms of the SSS (I and II).356 13. MEASURES OF SENSATION SEEKING
III. EMOTION REGULATION