ABSTRACT
The data presented in the last chapter require a new theoretical synthesis for sensation seeking. We have seen that theory based on an optimal level of arousal does not seem to provide an adequate explanation of the findings. The first theory of sensation seeking (Zuckerman, 1974) linked the trait to the evolution of the neocortex: "While the site of the other primary drives may lie in the limbic system, the site of the sensation seeking motive is postulated to be the cortex, and its source is the optimal level of arousal [po 80]."
