Document Type
Thesis
Date of Degree Completion
Fall 2017
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Experimental Psychology
Committee Chair
Kara Gabriel
Second Committee Member
Tonya Buchanan
Third Committee Member
Richard Marsicano
Abstract
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.
Recommended Citation
Cook, Ross, "Uncertainty's Impact on Perceptions Toward Randomness" (2017). All Master's Theses. 908.
https://digitalcommons.cwu.edu/etd/908
Language
English