Reports on two studies summarizing recent advances in the study of behavioral dispositions by detailing the activation-arousal framework. Uses the Miller Behavioral Style Scale to measure individual differences in activation/arousal while viewing a negative emotional film segment and media coverage of the explosion of the space shuttle…

If a motive for cognitive consistency and the extravert's preference for the arousing and novel are opposing tendencies, one would predict that highly extraverted individuals will show less preference for states of cognitive consistency than those who are less extraverted. Two experiments test this prediction. (Author/RK)

Examines the relationship between resistence to interference and personality disturbance. Concludes that resistance to interference can be used as a diagnostic dimension in assessing the likelihood of personality disturbance. (HMV)

A compound major individual difference variable having a putative physiological basis--arousal and the stimulation-seeking motive, which has not heretofore been intestigated in studies of assortative mating--was the focus of the present study. In addition, three choticism--were included for study. (Author)

Comprehension of film was studied in an ATI (aptitude x treatment interaction) framework which investigated comprehension as a function of the interaction of the stimulation-seeking motive (arousal) and degree of structure in information presented in film. Three levels of organizational coherence of a short film and two levels of the stimulation…

Individual differences in optimal level of stimulation as operationalized by the Sensation Seeking Scale significantly differentiated volunteers for hypnosis and encounter groups from non-volunteers. This confirmed predictions and extended the findings of previous work regarding encounter group volunteers. (NG)