LOSS AVERSION AND UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE IN VOTER BEHAVIOR: THE ASYMMETRIC MODERATING ROLE OF PERCEIVED THREAT
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.22141465Abstract
This study examines how loss aversion and uncertainty avoidance relate to individuals' decision-making strategies under perceived threat. Its primary aim is to discuss Prospect Theory not only through decision outcomes but through the information-processing strategies that individuals draw on during the decision process itself. To this end, it tests the psychological and contextual conditions under which rational decision-making (RC), confirmatory information processing (CONF), and heuristic information processing (HEUR) become more pronounced. Data from 611 participants were analyzed using multiple hierarchical regression and structural equation modeling, with moderation patterns evaluated through bootstrap procedures (N = 5000).
The findings indicate that loss aversion and uncertainty avoidance are negatively associated with rational decision-making tendencies and positively associated with reliance on confirmatory and heuristic strategies. Perceived threat, however, does not uniformly amplify these relationships. A more asymmetric pattern surfaces in the context of heuristic decision-making: as perceived threat increases, the association between uncertainty avoidance and HEUR weakens, whereas the association between loss aversion and HEUR grows comparatively stronger. Simple slope analysis supports this reading. Across threat levels, the UA slope declined from 0.415 to 0.196, while the LA slope rose from 0.261 to 0.506. Taken together, these findings suggest that decision-making under threat is not merely simplified; it may instead be selectively reweighted around loss sensitivity.
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