THE INFLUENCE OF SOCIAL VALUE ON ANXIETY AND SELF-OTHER DECISION MAKING

The goal of the current study was to determine if perceptions of social value within the domain of relationship decisions influences anxiety and decision making, and if this influence is different when deciding for oneself versus another person. Based on Social Values Theory, it was expected that increases in perceived social value between scenarios and between participants would predict greater anxiety and more risk-taking in decision making, and that this effect would be greater in decisions for others than decisions for oneself. Questionnaires were given to 128 undergraduates at two different time points, presenting risky relationship scenarios to participants and prompted them to rate emotional feelings, social value, riskiness, and their likelihood of making the risk-taking or risk-averse decision for each scenario. Results showed that increased perceptions of social value in scenarios and participants predicted greater anxiety and more risky decision making; however, greater anxiety may be due to increased arousal and negative affect more generally. Increased perceptions of social value in scenarios, but not in participants, was better at predicting greater anxiety and more risky decision making in decisions for others than for oneself. Anxious feelings, however, do not appear to mediate the social value-decision making relationship.

Grantor dc:publisher

Wake Forest University

Year dc:date.issued

2011

Author dc:creator

• Blalock, Daniel Vanhoy

• Anxiety

Language dc:language.iso

en

Handle dc:identifier.uri

http://hdl.handle.net/10339/33506

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:wakespace.lib.wfu.edu:10339/33506