title: Intolerance of uncertainty and decisions about delayed, probabilistic rewards.
abstract: Worry is the inflated concern about potential future threats and is a hallmark feature of generalized anxiety disorder. Previous theoretical work has suggested that worry may be a consequence of intolerance of uncertainty (IU). The current study seeks to explore the behavioral consequences of IU. Specifically, we examine how IU might be associated with aspects of reward-based decision making. We utilized a simple laboratory gambling task in which participants chose between small, low-probability rewards available immediately at the beginning of each trial and large, high-probability rewards only available after some variable delay. Results demonstrate that higher levels of intolerance of uncertainty were associated with a tendency to select the immediately available, but less valuable and less probable rewards. IU also predicted decision-makers' sensitivity to outcomes. We discuss the cognitive and affective mechanisms that are likely to underlie the observed decision-making behavior and the implications for anxiety disorders.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-2500, USA. christian.luhmann@stonybrook.edu
authors.forename: Christian C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Luhmann
authors.forename: Kanako
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Ishida
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Hajcak
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003657:Decision Making; D006801:Humans; D007175:Impulsive Behavior / Q000523:psychology; D011336:Probability; D011597:Psychomotor Performance; D012201:Reward; D012309:Risk-Taking; D013997:Time Factors; D035501:Uncertainty