Curiosity and sensation seeking: a conceptual and empirical examination

Many attempts have been made to measure curiosity and its components. However, there is no consensus on what curiosity is. Some researchers have also included the concept of sensation seeking in the concept of curiosity. In the present study, four previously constructed curiosity inventories and one sensation seeking scale were translated to Finnish and modified to be convenient for fifth-graders. The main purpose of the study was to clarify the concepts of curiosity and sensation seeking. Using conceptual analysis and the results of previous studies, it was possible to construct eight alternative conceptual models of curiosity. The corresponding statistical models were expected to account for the covariances among 15 subscales measuring curiosity-related exploratory behavior. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to investigate the fit of the alternative models. The four-step logic suggested by Stanley A. Mulaik was used in testing the models. A sample of 529 Finnish fifth-graders from southern Finland was divided according to sex (258 girls and 271 boys). The best-fitting model was a three-factor model with two trait factors and one method factor. The trait factors were termed Curiosity and Sensation Seeking. The findings of the present study appear to support the conclusion that curiosity and what has been called diversive curiosity are completely different traits as well as curiosity and sensation seeking.