Novelty Seeking and Reward: Implications for the Study of High-Risk Behaviors

Abstract

Novelty seeking and sensation seeking are constructs useful in predicting human risk-taking behaviors. This predictive relation purportedly reflects some rewarding aspect of experiencing novelty. Research has confirmed this assumption. Rats display an increase in preference for an environment that has been differentially paired with novel stimuli. The physiological mechanisms mediating this rewarding effect of novelty involve the neurotransmitter dopamine, whereas those controlling novelty seeking do not. The mechanisms involved in drug seeking and reward show parallel dissociations. This concordance between novelty and drug-abuse research suggests that novelty and drug stimuli may interact in biologically and behaviorally meaningful ways. Indeed, preliminary research examining cocaine and novelty and published work with amphetamines support this suggestion. There is clear need for further systematic research on novelty reward and related processes at all levels of analysis: genetic, biological, behavioral, and social.

Impact of nicotine withdrawal on novelty reward and related behaviors.

“…In previous work, we reported a dissociation between the processes that mediate novel-object place conditioning and those that mediate novel-object detection (Besheer et al, 1999;Bevins, 2001). Blockade of D 1 prior to each novel-object pairing blocked place conditioning, whereas D 1 antagonism prior to the novel-object test in the novel-object detection preparation did not affect novelty detection.…”

Genetic and environmental influences on human psychological differences

“…The Big Nine is based on years of research in the world of work (Hough, 1992), but appears to be deficient in measures of stimulus seeking and impulsivity even though these traits have been of critical importance to investigators who study addictive behavior (substance abuse, alcoholism, gambling, etc.) (Konner, 1990;Zuckerman, 1994;Bevins, 2001). Although the alternative models of personality are not without their critics (Block, 1995a(Block, ,b, 2001, their commonalties provide an important scheme for organizing what might otherwise be a bewildering array of findings on individual personality scales (Konner, 1990;Hough, 1992;Goldberg, 1993;Zuckerman, 1994;Zuckerman and Cloninger, 1996;Bevins, 2001).…”

“…(Konner, 1990;Zuckerman, 1994;Bevins, 2001). Although the alternative models of personality are not without their critics (Block, 1995a(Block, ,b, 2001, their commonalties provide an important scheme for organizing what might otherwise be a bewildering array of findings on individual personality scales (Konner, 1990;Hough, 1992;Goldberg, 1993;Zuckerman, 1994;Zuckerman and Cloninger, 1996;Bevins, 2001). Table 4 for details.…”

Competition between the conditioned rewarding effects of cocaine and novelty.

“…In a place conditioning preparation, conditioned responding is expressed similarly to cocaine and novel objects (Besheer & Bevins, 2003;Bevins, 2001;Bevins & Bardo, 1999;Douglas, Varlinskaya, & Spear, 2003;McBride et al, 1999;Mueller & Stewart, 2000). Additionally, drugs that block place conditioning to cocaine (e.g., SCH-23390) also block novelty-conditioned and novelty-induced preferences (Bardo et al, 1993;Besheer et al, 1999;Bevins & Bardo, 1999;Cervo & Sarnanin, 1995).…”