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Original Article

The Measure Matters

Similarities and Differences of the Five Most Important Sensation Seeking Inventories in an Adolescent Sample

Published Online:March 10, 2017https://doi.org/10.1027/1015-5759/a000398

Abstract

Abstract. Several inventories have been developed to measure sensation seeking (SS), and each of these inventories has been based on an individual theoretical concept of the construct. However, most studies assessing SS disregarded the large theoretical diversity and have treated the measures as interchangeable. The goal of this research was to identify common and distinctive dimensions of SS across the different measures. Subsequent goals were to reveal similarities and differences in what is measured by the various subscales, to provide differential correlates of these dimensions, and thereby to analyze which of the subscales can or should not be used interchangeably. We administered the five most relevant SS measures (Sensation Seeking-Scales Form V [SSS-V], Arnett Inventory of Sensation Seeking [AISS], Need Inventory of Sensation Seeking [NISS], the Impulsive Sensation Seeking [ImpSS] scale, and the Novelty Seeking scale) to a sample of adolescents (N = 318) in a cross-sectional design. Second-order factor analyses of the measures’ subscales revealed three distinct facets: impulsive sensation seeking, intensity seeking, and stimulation seeking. The specific correlational patterns between the facets and external measures of impulsiveness, the Big Five, and social desirability supported the factorial differentiation. We characterize the necessary distinctions between the facets of the SS measures and recommend to not use them interchangeably. The best indicators of each SS measurement facet are discussed.

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