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Adaptability in Undercover Operations: The Relationship Between Adaptability, Uncertainty Avoidance and Goal Achievement Master Thesis

Rhijn, M.A. van (2020) Adaptability in Undercover Operations: The Relationship Between Adaptability, Uncertainty Avoidance and Goal Achievement Master Thesis.

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Abstract:The present study examined the relationship between adaptability - cognitive, behavioural and emotional regulation that assists in responding to novel and uncertain situational demands - in the context of undercover operations. An experiment was designed in which one set of participants took on the role of undercover ‘agents’, while another set of participants took on the role of ‘granters’- persons the agents will interact with and play a partial role in the agent’s ability to achieve their goal. The agents completed three missions for which they were provided with an objective and an expectation (e.g., of an interaction with a professor during the mission). However, during the missions the agents’ expectations were systematically violated (e.g., by having them interact with an assistant instead of a professor) to elicit adaptive responses. The agents rated their own adaptability for each mission as well as their degree of uncertainty avoidance. The results showed that (i) adaptability predicts goal achievement, and (ii) agents scoring lower on uncertainty avoidance rated themselves as more adaptive. However, uncertainty avoidance did not mediate the effect of adaptability on goal achievement. The results imply that people are able to correctly assess their own adaptability post-hoc in a specific situation.
Item Type:Essay (Master)
Faculty:BMS: Behavioural, Management and Social Sciences
Subject:77 psychology
Programme:Psychology MSc (66604)
Link to this item:https://purl.utwente.nl/essays/84759
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