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Sensory processing sensitivity: exploring the sensory, perceptual, and emotional experiences and behaviours of the highly sensitive person / JESSICA WILLIAMS

Swansea University Author: JESSICA WILLIAMS

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DOI (Published version): 10.23889/SUthesis.69112

Abstract

The current thesis aims to advance the theoretical and empirical understanding of the temperament trait Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS). Since its discovery and development in 1997, much research has investigated the sensory, perceptual, and emotional behaviours and experiences associated with...

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Published: Swansea, Wales, UK 2025
Institution: Swansea University
Degree level: Doctoral
Degree name: Ph.D
Supervisor: Blagrove, Mark ; Thomas, Andrew
URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa69112
first_indexed 2025-03-17T14:39:48Z
last_indexed 2025-03-18T05:30:18Z
id cronfa69112
recordtype RisThesis
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spelling 2025-03-17T15:19:30.4283479 v2 69112 2025-03-17 Sensory processing sensitivity: exploring the sensory, perceptual, and emotional experiences and behaviours of the highly sensitive person b083bfdc8aa441106655ba9f89cffb76 JESSICA WILLIAMS JESSICA WILLIAMS true false 2025-03-17 The current thesis aims to advance the theoretical and empirical understanding of the temperament trait Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS). Since its discovery and development in 1997, much research has investigated the sensory, perceptual, and emotional behaviours and experiences associated with SPS, as well as its negative and positive outcomes. This research focuses specifically on three behaviours/experiences that, to the author’s knowledge, have been under-researched. Study One explores the perceptual ability of Highly Sensitive Persons. This investigation tested the associations of SPS with the perception of visually degraded words. The study found that the positive facet of SPS positively correlated and predicted the detection and identification of degraded words, tested at three levels of difficulty. In Studies Two and Three, the dreaming experiences of Highly Sensitive Persons are investigated. In particular, a cross-sectional study of SPS, dreams, and nightmare experience was conducted, as well as a longitudinal study of how daily life emotions can impact on the emotions experienced in dreams. Finally, Study Four considers the avoidance of violence. Item 18 of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale states that high SPS is associated with the avoidance of violence in television shows and movies, although this item has received no empirical validation since the development of the questionnaire. Due to the potential impact of witnessing violence on the emotional experiences of Highly Sensitives, a behavioural investigation was conducted to explore responses to viewing violence in fictional movies and real-life videos. This study confirmed the validity of Item 18. Importantly, most studies in the thesis controlled for the Big Five traits, as SPS has been recently claimed to be solely a combination of openness to experience, neuroticism, and introversion. The thesis provides evidence of the separability of SPS from these traits. E-Thesis Swansea, Wales, UK Sensory Processing Sensitivity; Highly Sensitive Person; Perception; Dreaming; Nightmares; Emotional Reactivity 4 3 2025 2025-03-04 10.23889/SUthesis.69112 ORCiD identifier: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5929-9305 COLLEGE NANME COLLEGE CODE Swansea University Blagrove, Mark ; Thomas, Andrew Doctoral Ph.D 2025-03-17T15:19:30.4283479 2025-03-17T14:37:23.3022224 Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences School of Psychology JESSICA WILLIAMS 1 69112__33828__4dac7d2bc9fc430aa05f3bbecc250adb.pdf Williams_Jessica_PhD_Thesis_Final_Cronfa.pdf 2025-03-17T15:16:43.9767516 Output 5781358 application/pdf E-Thesis – open access true Copyright: The Author, Jessica Marie Williams, 2025. true eng
title Sensory processing sensitivity: exploring the sensory, perceptual, and emotional experiences and behaviours of the highly sensitive person
spellingShingle Sensory processing sensitivity: exploring the sensory, perceptual, and emotional experiences and behaviours of the highly sensitive person
JESSICA WILLIAMS
title_short Sensory processing sensitivity: exploring the sensory, perceptual, and emotional experiences and behaviours of the highly sensitive person
title_full Sensory processing sensitivity: exploring the sensory, perceptual, and emotional experiences and behaviours of the highly sensitive person
title_fullStr Sensory processing sensitivity: exploring the sensory, perceptual, and emotional experiences and behaviours of the highly sensitive person
title_full_unstemmed Sensory processing sensitivity: exploring the sensory, perceptual, and emotional experiences and behaviours of the highly sensitive person
title_sort Sensory processing sensitivity: exploring the sensory, perceptual, and emotional experiences and behaviours of the highly sensitive person
author_id_str_mv b083bfdc8aa441106655ba9f89cffb76
author_id_fullname_str_mv b083bfdc8aa441106655ba9f89cffb76_***_JESSICA WILLIAMS
author JESSICA WILLIAMS
author2 JESSICA WILLIAMS
format E-Thesis
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
doi_str_mv 10.23889/SUthesis.69112
college_str Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchytype
hierarchy_top_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofmedicinehealthandlifesciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences
department_str School of Psychology{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Medicine, Health and Life Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Psychology
document_store_str 1
active_str 0
description The current thesis aims to advance the theoretical and empirical understanding of the temperament trait Sensory Processing Sensitivity (SPS). Since its discovery and development in 1997, much research has investigated the sensory, perceptual, and emotional behaviours and experiences associated with SPS, as well as its negative and positive outcomes. This research focuses specifically on three behaviours/experiences that, to the author’s knowledge, have been under-researched. Study One explores the perceptual ability of Highly Sensitive Persons. This investigation tested the associations of SPS with the perception of visually degraded words. The study found that the positive facet of SPS positively correlated and predicted the detection and identification of degraded words, tested at three levels of difficulty. In Studies Two and Three, the dreaming experiences of Highly Sensitive Persons are investigated. In particular, a cross-sectional study of SPS, dreams, and nightmare experience was conducted, as well as a longitudinal study of how daily life emotions can impact on the emotions experienced in dreams. Finally, Study Four considers the avoidance of violence. Item 18 of the Highly Sensitive Person Scale states that high SPS is associated with the avoidance of violence in television shows and movies, although this item has received no empirical validation since the development of the questionnaire. Due to the potential impact of witnessing violence on the emotional experiences of Highly Sensitives, a behavioural investigation was conducted to explore responses to viewing violence in fictional movies and real-life videos. This study confirmed the validity of Item 18. Importantly, most studies in the thesis controlled for the Big Five traits, as SPS has been recently claimed to be solely a combination of openness to experience, neuroticism, and introversion. The thesis provides evidence of the separability of SPS from these traits.
published_date 2025-03-04T08:23:02Z
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score 11.054877

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