Sensation seeking and communication apprehension: Biological and genetic correlates of approaching or avoiding communication events

The study reported here was designed to test the assumption that individual differences in preference for experiences that provide physiological arousal predict differences in communication apprehension. Participants (N=113) completed Zuckerman's (1979) Sensation‐Seeking Scale V (SSS V), McCroskey's (1982) Personal Report of Communication Apprehension (PRCA‐24), and Crowne and Marlowe's (1964) Social Desirability Scale (SDS). Results provided support for the hypothesized negative relationship between sensation seeking and communication apprehension. Additionally, need for social approval was identified as a significant covariate in the measurement model. However, the relationship between communication apprehension and sensation seeking was found to be nonlinear and mediated by social desirability. The discussion focuses on the possible role of genetic and biological factors in the etiology of communication apprehension.