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Document Type

Research

Abstract

The role of diffusion of responsibility in the production of the risky shift phenomenon was examined in a two-choice situation. Expected value of the two choices was held constant by varying payoffs inversely with their probabilities. After 100 trials alone, subjects were put into one of three conditions for the next 100 trials: Control Condition, Group Diffusion of Responsibility Condition or Group Concentration of Responsibility Condition. No significant shifts were found in any of these conditions. The Kogan and Wallach prediction that diffusion of responsibility would lead to a greater risky shift was not supported. The results were consistent with Zajonc, Wolosin, Wolosin, and Sherman's contention that the utility of being correct produced a conservative shift in the group condition of their experiment. The findings of the present experiment imply that the risky shift phenomenon may not occur under all diffusion of responsibility conditions.

Publication Date

1970

Journal Title

Proceedings of the Iowa Academy of Science

Volume

77

Issue

1

First Page

308

Last Page

314

Copyright

©1970 Iowa Academy of Science, Inc.

Language

en

File Format

application/pdf

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