title: In praise of vagueness: malleability of vague information as a performance booster.
abstract: Is the eternal quest for precise information always worthwhile? Our research suggests that, at times, vagueness has its merits. Previous research has demonstrated that people prefer precise information over vague information because it gives them a sense of security and makes their environments more predictable. However, we show that the fuzzy boundaries afforded by vague information can actually help individuals perform better than can precise information. We document these findings across two laboratory studies and one quasi-field study that involved different performance-related contexts (mental acuity, physical strength, and weight loss). We argue that the malleability of vague information allows people to interpret it in the manner they desire, so that they can generate positive response expectancies and, thereby, perform better. The rigidity of precise information discourages desirable interpretations. Hence, on certain occasions, precise information is not as helpful as vague information in boosting performance.
authors.affiliation: David Eccles School of Business,Department of Marketing, University of Utah, Salt Lake City 84112, USA. himanshu.mishra@utah.edu
authors.forename: Himanshu
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.forename: Arul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mishra
authors.forename: Baba
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Shiv
mesh_terms: D003142:Communication; D005717:Games, Experimental; D006801:Humans; D007360:Intelligence; D009042:Motivation; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D035501:Uncertainty; D015431:Weight Loss