RESUMO
When updating beliefs, humans tend to integrate more desirable information than undesirable information. In stable environments (low uncertainty and high predictability), this asymmetry favors motivation towards action and perceived self-efficacy. However, in changing environments (high uncertainty and low predictability), this process can lead to risk underestimation and increase unwanted costs. Here, we examine how people (n = 388) integrate threatening information during an abrupt environmental change (mandatory quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic). Given that anxiety levels are associated with the magnitude of the updating belief asymmetry; we explore its relationship during this particular context. We report a significant reduction in asymmetrical belief updating during a large environmental change as individuals integrated desirable and undesirable information to the same extent. Moreover, this result was supported by computational modeling of the belief update task. However, we found that the reduction in asymmetrical belief updating was not homogeneous among people with different levels of Trait-anxiety. Individuals with higher levels of Trait-anxiety maintained a valence-dependent updating, as it occurs in stable environments. On the other hand, updating behavior was not associated with acute anxiety (State-Anxiety), health concerns (Health-Anxiety), or having positive expectations (Trait-Optimism). These results suggest that highly uncertain environments can generate adaptive changes in information integration. At the same time, it reveals the vulnerabilities of individuals with higher levels of anxiety to adapt the way they learn.
Assuntos
Ansiedade , COVID-19 , Humanos , COVID-19/psicologia , COVID-19/prevenção & controle , COVID-19/epidemiologia , Feminino , Masculino , Adulto , Ansiedade/psicologia , Incerteza , SARS-CoV-2/isolamento & purificação , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Motivação , Adulto Jovem , Quarentena/psicologia , Pandemias/prevenção & controle , AdolescenteRESUMO
Este estudio tuvo como objetivo principal el diseño y validación de una escala que permitiera la evaluar la tendencia optimista/pesimista en adolescentes y jóvenes universitarios. La muestra estuvo conformada 617 estudiantes de educación superior, de ambos géneros, con una edad entre 18 y 31 años, provenientes de cuatro instituciones educativas ubicadas en dos ciudades colombianas. El análisis psicométrico mostró que la prueba cuenta con las condiciones de confiabilidad y validez necesarias para ser utilizada en poblaciones similares a la de validación. Las conclusiones muestran diferencias de género en los puntajes de optimismo y pesimismo, la presencia de sesgo optimista no realista en los adolescentes y la existencia de diferencias en la tendencia optimista según la procedencia. Se discuten las limitaciones del presente estudio.
This study's main objective was the design and validation of a scale that allowed the evaluate trend of optimistic / pessimistic in adolescents and university young. The sample consisted of 617 university students aged between 18 and 31 years, from 4 educational institutions located in two Colombian cities. The psychometric analysis showed that the scale meets the conditions of reliability and validity for use in related populations . The conclusions show differences between genders in scores of optimism and pessimism trends; the presence of unrealistically optimistic bias in adolescents and the differences in the optimistic trend according to city. Limitations of this study are discussed.