Search for Expectancy-Inconsistent Information Reduces Uncertainty Better: The Role of Cognitive Capacity

Abstract

Motivation and cognitive capacity are key factors in people’s everyday struggle with uncertainty. However, the exact nature of their interplay in various contexts still needs to be revealed. The presented paper reports on two experimental studies which aimed to examine the joint consequences of motivational and cognitive factors for preferences regarding incomplete information expansion. In Study 1 we demonstrate the interactional effect of motivation and cognitive capacity on information preference. High need for closure resulted in a stronger relative preference for expectancy-inconsistent information among non-depleted individuals, but the opposite among cognitively depleted ones. This effect was explained by the different informative value of questions in comparison to affirmative sentences and the potential possibility of assimilation of new information if it contradicts prior knowledge. In Study 2 we further investigated the obtained effect, showing that not only questions but also other kinds of incomplete information are subject to the same dependency. Our results support the expectation that, in face of incomplete information, motivation toward closure may be fulfilled efficiently by focusing on expectancy-inconsistent pieces of data. We discuss the obtained effect in the context of previous assumptions that high need for closure results in a simple processing style, advocating a more complex approach based on the character of the provided information.

Retrieval-Induced Forgetting as Motivated Cognition

“…They are closed-minded and reluctant to accept information that is in conflict with their already-formed opinions. In accordance with this, previous work on NFC has shown that this motivation leads individuals to focus on schema-confirming information and avoid disconfirming information ( Dijksterhuis et al, 1996 ; Macrae and Bodenhausen, 2000 ; Strojny et al, 2016 ). It also enhances goal shielding (i.e., when an individual protects his or her focal goal by inhibiting alternative goals; Shah et al, 2002 ) and increases the efficiency with which individuals handle irrelevant information ( Kossowska, 2007 ).…”

Self-image threat decreases stereotyping: The role of motivation toward closure

“…Finally, it is possible that self-image threat might induce a kind of ego-depletion mechanism (Baumeister 1998), so that threatened people do not have the cognitive energy needed to inhibit stereotype expressions. Again, there are some results showing that high in NFC people with unconstrained cognitive resources may engage in effortful processing in order to achieve their goal (Strojny et al 2016), thus may also inhibit stereotype expression efficiently.…”

Need for closure and reactions to innovation

“…Similarly, high NFC can lead to an increased preference for autocratic group structure with centralized authority, which lessens the likelihood of dissenting opinions (Pierro et al, ). High NFC causes individuals to emphasize schema‐consistent information and ignore schema‐inconsistent information, because high NFC individuals are closed‐minded and dislike any information that contradicts what they already know (Dijksterhuis, van Knippenberg, Kruglanski, & Schaper, ; Kossowska & Bar‐Tal, ; Strojny, Kossoswka, & Strojny, ). Those who are high (vs. low) on NFC perceive social groups as more homogeneous, and are more likely to judge them on the basis of group stereotypes, because they are closed‐minded and resistant to changing stereotypes (Dijksterhuis et al, ).…”