Attributions for ambiguity in a treatment‐decision context can create ambiguity aversion or seeking

Jillian O'Rourke Stuart; Paul D Windschitl; Jane E Miller; Andrew R Smith; Brian J Zikmund‐Fisher; Laura D Scherer

doi:10.1002/bdm.2249

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Attributions for ambiguity in a treatment‐decision context can create ambiguity aversion or seeking

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Attributions for ambiguity in a treatment‐decision context can create ambiguity aversion or seeking

Jillian O'Rourke Stuart, Paul D Windschitl, Jane E Miller, Andrew R Smith, Brian J Zikmund‐Fisher and Laura D Scherer

Journal of behavioral decision making, Vol.35(1), e2249

01/2022

DOI: 10.1002/bdm.2249

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https://hdl.handle.net/2027.42/171119View

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Abstract

The phenomenon of ambiguity aversion suggests that people prefer options that offer precisely rather than imprecisely known chances of success. However, past work on people's responses to ambiguity in health treatment contexts found ambiguity seeking rather than aversion. The present work addressed whether such findings reflected a broad tendency for ambiguity seeking in health treatment contexts or whether specific attributions for ambiguity play a substantial role. In three studies, people choose between two treatment options that involved similar underlying probabilities, except that the probabilities for one option involved ambiguity. The attributions offered for the ambiguity played an important role in the results. For example, when the range of probabilities associated with an ambiguous treatment was attributed to the fact that different studies yield different results, participants tended to show ambiguity aversion or indifference. However, when the range was attributed to something that participants could control (e.g., regular application of a cream) or something about which they were overoptimistic (e.g., their immune system function), participants tended to show ambiguity seeking. Health professionals should be mindful of how people will interpret and use information about ambiguity when choosing among treatments.

ambiguity

attributions

health decisions

Details

Title: Subtitle: Attributions for ambiguity in a treatment‐decision context can create ambiguity aversion or seeking
Creators: Jillian O'Rourke Stuart - Virginia Military Institute
Paul D Windschitl - University of Iowa
Jane E Miller - University of Iowa
Andrew R Smith - Appalachian State University
Brian J Zikmund‐Fisher - University of Michigan
Laura D Scherer - University of Colorado
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of behavioral decision making, Vol.35(1), e2249
DOI: 10.1002/bdm.2249
ISSN: 0894-3257
eISSN: 1099-0771
Number of pages: 16
Grant note: National Science Foundation (SES‐1851738)
Language: English
Date published: 01/2022
Academic Unit: Psychological and Brain Sciences
Record Identifier: 9984213399202771

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