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The influence of ease of retrieval on judgemental confidence and risk-information-seeking and processing

Hubbert, Julia (2020) The influence of ease of retrieval on judgemental confidence and risk-information-seeking and processing.

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Abstract:An increasing number in global calamities, among others because of climate change, requires the population to seek and process risk-related information. Previous research has successfully identified several factors that influence risk information-seeking and processing, of which information sufficiency is one of the most important and direct ones. However, what has not been investigated yet is the role judgemental confidence plays in this context. Therefore, this study aimed at being the first to show the influence of judgemental confidence on the information-seeking and processing behaviour by manipulating judgemental confidence directly with an ease-of-retrieval manipulation. Building on existing theories and models, it asks: To what extent does the perceived ease or difficulty of retrieval affect the confidence in one’s own knowledge and therefore the motivation to seek and process risk-related information? An online survey was conducted and participants were randomly assigned to either a difficult or easy retrieval condition, in which their judgemental confidence was intended to be either reduced or boosted before being asked climate change-related questions. The results did not indicate any significant difference in information-seeking and processing based on the ease of retrieval manipulation and therefore also the degree of judgemental confidence. However, limitations such as sampling problems as well as issues with the chosen risk of climate change inhibit the generalizability of these results. Further research is needed to explore the role of judgemental confidence in risk information-seeking and processing.
Item Type:Essay (Bachelor)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:77 psychology
Programme:Psychology BSc (56604)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/81831
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