Psychology
Sensation Seeking and College Drinking
Document Type
Poster Presentation
Location
Indianapolis, IN
Subject Area
Psychology
Start Date
13-4-2018 8:30 AM
End Date
13-4-2018 10:00 AM
Sponsor
Jamie Bromley (Franklin College)
Description
Substance use among college students is a normalized, expected behavior. This use can be related back to the environment, stress, peer groups, and other issues. Another common factor that has been found to be correlated to substance use is the sensation seeking personality type. Zuckerman (1994) described it as a personality in which individuals seek novel, complex, and intense sensations and experiences even if these experiences lead to any form of trouble or risks. Marked by impulsivity and the joy for adrenaline, this personality type can put students at and even higher degree of at-risk behaviors. This research looked at the correlation between the two by using a small sample of undergraduate students (n=40). The goal of this paper and this research, was to primarily focus on the researcher, as a student, to create an individual personality questionnaire, The Northrup Personality Inventory (NPI) and to then compare the reliability and validity of it to two other previous validated and published similar questionnaires and to correlate substance use with these scales. The NPI was compared with the Sensation Seeking Scale and the CAPS-r. A significant correlation between specific demographics and drinking behaviors was found. Results indicate strong internal consistency reliability for the NPI, but convergent validity was not supported. The following study found a significant correlation between the age of the participants first drink and their sex, r(40) = .050, p <0.05. Limitations of this study included attrition of participants in the second testing session, issues with scale development.
Sensation Seeking and College Drinking
Indianapolis, IN
Substance use among college students is a normalized, expected behavior. This use can be related back to the environment, stress, peer groups, and other issues. Another common factor that has been found to be correlated to substance use is the sensation seeking personality type. Zuckerman (1994) described it as a personality in which individuals seek novel, complex, and intense sensations and experiences even if these experiences lead to any form of trouble or risks. Marked by impulsivity and the joy for adrenaline, this personality type can put students at and even higher degree of at-risk behaviors. This research looked at the correlation between the two by using a small sample of undergraduate students (n=40). The goal of this paper and this research, was to primarily focus on the researcher, as a student, to create an individual personality questionnaire, The Northrup Personality Inventory (NPI) and to then compare the reliability and validity of it to two other previous validated and published similar questionnaires and to correlate substance use with these scales. The NPI was compared with the Sensation Seeking Scale and the CAPS-r. A significant correlation between specific demographics and drinking behaviors was found. Results indicate strong internal consistency reliability for the NPI, but convergent validity was not supported. The following study found a significant correlation between the age of the participants first drink and their sex, r(40) = .050, p <0.05. Limitations of this study included attrition of participants in the second testing session, issues with scale development.