Cognitive and affective aspects of boredom

It is argued that previous research may have been mistaken in assuming that monotony in sensory stimulation is a necessary and sufficient cause of boredom. Five investigations are reported which used personal construct theory and repertory grid techniques to investigate three hypotheses: (1) that boredom is associated with subjective monotony, (2) that boredom is associated with a high degree of frustration and (3) that boredom arises when stimulation lacks meaning for the individual. Results supported hypotheses (1) and (2) but no evidence was found to support hypothesis (3).