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.

Language

English

Included in

Psychology Commons

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