Sensation seeking and performance on divided attention tasks varying in cognitive complexity

Previous research has been inconclusive in testing Zuckermanʹs hypothesis that performance for persons high and low in sensation seeking should differ on focused and divided attention tasks. The present study used two primary tasks, the Sternberg Memory Search Test and a card dealing task, each with three levels of complexity. The secondary task was subjective time estimation. No differences between groups high and low in sensation seeking were discovered. Results are discussed in the context of previous theory and research.