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Experimental Research Examining How People Can Cope with Uncertainty Through Soft Haptic Sensations
Published on: September 16, 2015
Relatively certain! Comparative thinking reduces uncertainty
Thomas Mussweiler1, Ann-Christin Posten
1Department of Psychology, University of Cologne, Richard-Strauss-Str. 2, D-50931 Cologne, Germany. thomas.mussweiler@uni-koeln.de
Abstract:
Comparison is one of the most ubiquitous and versatile mechanisms in human information processing. Previous research demonstrates that one consequence of comparative thinking is increased judgmental efficiency: comparison allows for quicker judgments without a loss in accuracy. We hypothesised that a second potential consequence of comparative thinking is reduced judgmental uncertainty. We examined this possibility in three experiments using three different domains of judgment and three different measures of uncertainty. Results consistently demonstrate that procedurally priming participants to rely more heavily on comparative thinking during judgment induces them to feel more certain about their judgment.
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