Doctoral Dissertation Research: The Interplay Between Self-Construals and Regulatory Focus in Decision Making Under Risk and Uncertainty

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Decisions involving risk and uncertainty are described by a number of different theories in various disciplines. Some theories emphasize the fact that in certain circumstances individuals seem to rely upon a deliberative, analytical process to make decisions, whereas in others they rely on more intuitive, emotion-based processes. Other theories focus on the fact that in certain circumstances people are oriented toward promotion or acquisition whereas in others their objective is prevention or security. Finally, theories emphasize that some individuals and, indeed, entire societies appear "self-oriented" whereas others appear more "group-oriented." This Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grant project seeks to integrate these theories in a comprehensive model that can account for the interplay of culture, motivation, cognitive processing as well as specific aspects of the decision making task. Differences in decision making under risk are assumed to be a function of how people in different situations think about themselves (as individuals versus group members), their motivational tendencies (promotion versus prevention), and the mediating thought processes that either focus on emotional responses or on a particular form of social rationality. A series of experiments will be undertaken to identify the conditions that favor certain configurations of these factors over others.