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Status Quo Change vs. Maintenance as a Moderator of the Influence of Perceived Opportunity on the Experience of Regret

Karadogan, Figen

Abstract Details

2010, Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Ohio University, Psychology (Arts and Sciences).
Recent research in regret literature, examining the moderating role of perceived opportunity, has yielded conflicting results. Roese and Summerville (2005) argue that conditions that enhance perceptions of future opportunities should elicit the most intensely felt regrets, whereas Beike, Markman and Karadogan (2009) argue that it is the perception of lost opportunities (i.e., high past but low future) that elicit the most intensely felt regrets. Thus, the main purpose of the current project was to offer a resolution to these conflicting positions. With this goal in mind, three studies were conducted to demonstrate that the effect of perception of future opportunities change depending on the nature of decision type (i.e., changing the status quo vs. maintaining the status quo). Study 1 investigated the interactive effect of decision type and perceived opportunity on regret intensity by adopting a scenario paradigm. Results of Study 1 demonstrated that the amount of regret experienced intensified in situations where future opportunities to take corrective action were no longer available. Due to the possible limitations of a scenario paradigm, Study 2 was conducted by adopting a more involving paradigm in which participants were required to make actual regret-eliciting decisions. Consistent with the predictions, changing the status quo was regretted more than maintaining it under the conditions of low opportunity, whereas maintaining the status quo was regretted more than changing it under the conditions of high opportunity. In addition to the attempt to replicate the previously obtained interaction effect, Study 3 sought evidence whether self-uncertainty about one’s judgmental abilities is responsible for the obtained interactive results. The study clearly replicated the previous findings which demonstrated that amount of regret experienced changed as a function of both decision type (i.e., maintaining status quo vs. changing it) and perceived future opportunity. Additional analyses suggest that the mechanism of self-uncertainty at present does not statistically mediate the interactive effects of decision type and perceived opportunity on experience of regret. Implications of the results obtained are discussed with a focus on possible directions for future research.
Keith Markman (Committee Chair)
Claudia Gonzalez-Vallejo (Committee Member)
Mark Alicke (Committee Member)
Robert Shelly (Committee Member)
93 p.

Recommended Citations

Citations

  • Karadogan, F. (2010). Status Quo Change vs. Maintenance as a Moderator of the Influence of Perceived Opportunity on the Experience of Regret [Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University]. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1289590823

    APA Style (7th edition)

  • Karadogan, Figen. Status Quo Change vs. Maintenance as a Moderator of the Influence of Perceived Opportunity on the Experience of Regret. 2010. Ohio University, Doctoral dissertation. OhioLINK Electronic Theses and Dissertations Center, http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1289590823.

    MLA Style (8th edition)

  • Karadogan, Figen. "Status Quo Change vs. Maintenance as a Moderator of the Influence of Perceived Opportunity on the Experience of Regret." Doctoral dissertation, Ohio University, 2010. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ohiou1289590823

    Chicago Manual of Style (17th edition)