Examining the Validity of Two Types of Self-Administered Electrodermal Stimulation Behaviors as Behavioral Measures of Sensation Seeking in Emerging Adult Nicotine Users

Abstract

Assessment of sensation seeking tendencies is currently limited to reliance upon self-report measures, to which research attributes notable limitations (i.e., impression management, self-deception, comprehension difficulties). As such, this research aims to validate a behavioral measure of sensation seeking – self-administered electrodermal stimulation (SAES). Additionally, although research has investigated relations between nicotine use and self-reported sensation seeking tendencies, no research to date has examined relations between nicotine use and SAES. This study contributes to clinical research by aiming to validate a trans-diagnostic behavioral measure of sensation seeking through the examination of the reliability, validity, and utility of two types of SAES behaviors: shock and vibration.

Participants (N = 120) were assessed for nicotine use status, completed self-report measures, and engaged in two behavioral tasks, with one involving two SAES conditions. Results were surveyed using one-way ANOVA, ANCOVA, linear regression, ROC, and simple correlation analyses. The ages of the participants included in analyses (n = 117) ranged from 18 to 23 years (Mage = 19.00, SD = 1.0, 51.3% female), and 22 participants returned to participate in the study a second time approximately two weeks later.

Results suggest that many facets of self-reported sensation seeking predict the self-administration of both shocks and vibrations. Specifically, individuals classified as High Sensation Seekers self-administered shocks significantly more frequently compared to their Low Sensation Seeking peers, F(1,102) = 7.51, p < .01. Additionally, composite sensation seeking scores were shown to positively predict the self-administration of vibrations, b = 21.31, t(105) = 2.32, p < 0.05. Notably, nicotine users did not appear to self-administer significantly more shocks (F[1,89] = 0.17, p > .05) or vibrations (F[1,92]= .02, p > .05) compared to their non-nicotine using peers.

Although this study had notable limitations likely impacting the ability of this study to adequately assess differences in SAES related to nicotine use, SAES appears to tap into sensation seeking tendencies of college-attending emerging adults. Future research should examine the discriminant and predictive validity of SAES as a behavioral measure of sensation seeking in larger and more heterogeneous samples as well as with a variety of clinical populations.