Attitudes toward Others Depend upon Self and Other Causal Uncertainty

Stephanie J Tobin,Matylda M Osika,Mia Mclanders,José César Perales

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0087677

Stephanie J Tobin, Matylda M Osika + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0087677

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Journal: PloS one	Publication Date: Feb 4, 2014
Citations: 2	License type: CC BY 4.0

Affiliation: University of Queensland, University of Houston

Abstract

People who are high in causal uncertainty doubt their own ability to understand the causes of social events. In three studies, we examined the effects of target and perceiver causal uncertainty on attitudes toward the target. Target causal uncertainty was manipulated via responses on a causal uncertainty scale in Studies 1 and 2, and with a scenario in Study 3. In Studies 1 and 2, we found that participants liked the low causal uncertainty target more than the high causal uncertainty target. This preference was stronger for low relative to high causal uncertainty participants because high causal uncertainty participants held more uncertain ideals. In Study 3, we examined the value individuals place upon causal understanding (causal importance) as an additional moderator. We found that regardless of their own causal uncertainty level, participants who were high in causal importance liked the low causal uncertainty target more than the high causal uncertainty target. However, when participants were low in causal importance, low causal uncertainty perceivers showed no preference and high causal uncertainty perceivers preferred the high causal uncertainty target. These findings reveal that goal importance and ideals can influence how perceivers respond to causal uncertainty in others.

Highlights

What is more desirable in another person: certainty or uncertainty? The answer likely depends on numerous factors, including the object of uncertainty, the perceiver’s goals, and the perceiver’s level of uncertainty
Participants thought that the low causal uncertainty target better resembled their ideal self, and this was true for low relative to high causal uncertainty participants
As in Study 1, we found that participants liked the low causal uncertainty target more than the high causal uncertainty target, and that low relative to high causal uncertainty participants showed a stronger preference for the low causal uncertainty target

Summary

Introduction

What is more desirable in another person: certainty or uncertainty? The answer likely depends on numerous factors, including the object of uncertainty, the perceiver’s goals, and the perceiver’s level of uncertainty. We focused on causal uncertainty, or doubt about one’s own ability to understand the causes of social events [1]. Longitudinal studies have further revealed that causal uncertainty both stems from and contributes to a lack of perceived control [4,5]. The latter finding is consistent with Heider’s [6] classic assertion that understanding the causes of events is critical for a sense of prediction and control. Unless people are protected by the sense that they can either accept or adapt themselves to existing events, higher levels of causal uncertainty about one’s own outcomes lead to increases in negative affect over time [3]. Causal uncertainty seems to have negative implications for psychological well-being

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