The User's Dilemma and Risky Decision-Making on Electronic Bulletin Boards

In a laboratory experiment, the User's Dilemma created by competing Effort and Prospects Reward Systems is used to explain users' decisions to disseminate or withhold information on an electronic bulletin board. Those facing the User's Dilemma were simultaneously confronted with a positive certain outcome and a negative probabilistic outcome; they chose to withhold information and forgo the positive outcome to avoid the negative outcome. The group presented with the User's Dilemma was the best calibrated of three groups on perceptions of production. When compared to the group without effort rewards, the Dilemma group produced more, but had lower perceptions of production. The organizational implications of the presence of the User's Dilemma, accurate user calibration, and user control over outcomes are discussed.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Psychology

Grantor

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2014

Author dc:creator

• Wittmer, Jerry M.

Contributors dc:contributor

• Sniezek, Janet A.

• Psychology, Social
• Psychology, Industrial

Identifier

(UMI)AAI9236625

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:www.ideals.illinois.edu:2142/72111