Social Judgments of Ambiguity-Seeking (vs. Ambiguity-Aversion)

Le résumé fourni par la source

Ambiguity aversion—the reluctance to embrace ambiguity or uncertainty in decision-making—has robust empirical support. The present research examines how ambiguity-seeking and ambiguity-averse behaviors are socially evaluated across three pre-registered experiments (total N = 1,715). In Experiment 1 (N = 645), we hypothesized and found that ambiguity-averse decision-makers in simple decision scenarios are evaluated more positively than ambiguity-tolerant decision-makers by third-party observers. Experiment 2 (N = 564) replicated these findings using a within-subject design and introduced additional creativity-related attributes, revealing that ambiguity-seeking candidates are perceived as more creative and open to novel possibilities. Experiment 3 (N = 506) further explored how contextual framing influences preferences, focusing on the role of the decision-maker. Results showed that participants strategically adjusted their preferences to signal traits favored by the situation. These findings suggest that ambiguity aversion (or preference) arises from more than basic cognitive or affective processes; instead, complex social considerations can shape decision-making and its evaluation.

Ce résumé expose les affirmations des auteurs. BNTIC ne l’interprète pas comme une validation indépendante des résultats.