Uncertainty's Impact on Perceptions Toward Randomness

The current study examined the effects that perceived uncertainty and success in a financial decision task had on participant’s attitudes toward uncertainty. One hundred and fifty-three participants were randomly assigned to read one of three possible vignettes in which varying levels of uncertainty were depicted (i.e., high uncertainty, low uncertainty, and a control condition in which the degree of uncertainty was not mentioned). Participants were asked to make semi-informed decisions based on these vignettes and were, then, randomly assigned to a success or failure feedback condition in which they were told that they had either performed well or poorly. Afterward, attitudes toward uncertainty were measured with a combination of the Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale-12 (IUS-12) and the Economic Locus of Control Scales (ELOC). Analysis revealed non-significant effects of both the varying levels of uncertainty presented in the vignettes and the type of feedback on attitudes toward uncertainty. These results imply that the attitudes a person holds toward uncertainty are robust toward day-to-day chance occurrences and that these attitudes may require immense pressure to change.

Name thesis:degree_name

Master of Science (MS)

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Experimental Psychology

Year dc:date.available

2017

Author dc:creator

• Cook, Ross

Contributors dc:contributor

• Kara Gabriel
• Tonya Buchanan
• Richard Marsicano

• risk
• IUS
• Economic Locus of Control
• feedback
• Psychology
• Social and Behavioral Sciences

Language dc:language

English

Repository record dc:identifier

https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/908

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:digitalcommons.cwu.edu:etd-1824