The Context-Dependent Nature of Uncertainty: Responses to Uncertainty are Moderated by the Presence or Absence of Threat
Year: 2012
Type: article
Abstract: The purpose of the current work was to develop and test a model of how uncertainty differentially impacts information processing as a function of threat.The proposed model suggests that uncertainty is likely to lead to increased exploration and open-mindedness unless threat is present, in which case it can have the opposite effect-leading to defensiveness and closed-mindedness.Studies 1 and 2 show that threat moderates the effect of uncertainty on political tolerance; when safe, uncertainty leads to greater tolerance, yet when threatened, uncertainty leads to reduced tolerance.Study 3 examines the neural processing of uncertainty as a function of threat, showing that the human amygdala responds differently to uncertainty depending on the presence or absence of threat.Taken together, this work shows support for the model and suggests that responses to uncertainty are highly context-dependent at various stages of processing, from deliberative decisions about political tolerance to rapid emotional perceptions.vi
Author: Ingrid Johnsen Haas
Institution: The Ohio State University
Language: English
Subfield: General Decision Sciences
Field: Decision Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2521647921