Information-management behavior during stressful waiting periods

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Behavioral Science
• Decision Making

Background:

• Individuals awaiting uncertain outcomes often experience worry.
• Information management behaviors, such as seeking or avoiding information, are common responses to uncertainty.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between worry and information-seeking/avoiding behaviors during periods of uncertain waiting.
• To determine if worry influences the timing and extent of information management.

Main Methods:

• Three longitudinal studies were conducted with distinct populations: U.S. voters awaiting election results, law graduates awaiting exam results, and academic job candidates.
• Participants' levels of worry and information-seeking/avoiding behaviors were tracked over time during their respective waiting periods.

Main Results:

• Greater worry consistently correlated with increased information seeking across all studies.
• Participants were more likely to seek information during periods of heightened anxiety.
• Evidence for worry-driven information avoidance was mixed, with a general tendency for higher worry to correlate with overall avoidance, but not specifically at peak anxiety times.

Conclusions:

• Worry during stressful waiting periods primarily motivates information seeking, rather than avoidance.
• The pursuit of information, even if potentially unhelpful, appears to be a key coping strategy driven by anxiety.