Preference and performance on two tasks of varying ambiguity as a function of ambiguity tolerance

Abstract

Forty undergraduates were assigned into two groups of 20 subjects on the basis of their scores on Budner's Scale of Tolerance-Intolerance of Ambiguity (at least one standard deviation above and below the mean). All subjects performed, in counterbalanced order, two 15-minute tasks which varied in degree of ambiguity. The less ambiguous task involved decoding messages; the more ambiguous task, a modification of one of Torrance's Tests of Creative Thinking, involved thinking of different uses for common objects. Subjects then rated each of the tasks on 7-point scales describing their enjoyment, perceived performance, and perceived difficulty of the tasks. Results indicated that tolerant subjects performed better than intolerant subjects on both levels of task ambiguity. In addition, all subjects rated the more ambiguous task as easier and more enjoyable, and fell they performed better on it than the less ambiguous task.