Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Sensation Seeking And Visual Selective Attention In Adults With Hiv/Aids, David J. Hardy, Steven A. Castellon, Charles H. Hinkin, Andrew J. Levine, Mona N. Lam

Psychological Science Faculty Works

The association between sensation seeking and visual selective attention was examined in 31 adults with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). Sensation seeking was measured with Zuckerman’s Sensation Seeking Scale Form V (SSS-V). Selective attention was assessed with a perceptual span task, where a target letter-character must be identified in a quickly presented array of nontarget letter-characters. As predicted, sensation seeking was strongly associated (R² = .229) with perceptual span performance in the array size 12 condition, where selective attention demands were greatest, but not in the easier conditions. The Disinhibition, Boredom Susceptibility, and Experience Seeking subscales of the …