title: Enhancing the ecological validity of the Beads Task as a behavioral measure of intolerance of uncertainty.
abstract: To broaden the measurement of intolerance of uncertainty (IU) beyond self-report methods, recent research has examined the Beads Task as a behavioral measure of IU. In the present study, we enhanced this task to increase its ecological validity by maximizing decisional uncertainty and the importance of a correct response. Undergraduate participants (n=102) completed the Beads Task with instructions that they would complete the Cold Pressor Task (CPT) if they answered incorrectly. As hypothesized, baseline CPT endurance time and self-reported pain level were weakly associated with later Beads Task distress during the decision-making process. Furthermore, in vivo Beads Task distress was associated with self-report inhibitory IU, which measures avoidance and paralysis in the face of uncertainty, but not with prospective IU, perfectionism, or general psychological distress after making statistical adjustments for multiple comparisons. Comparisons to previous work using the Beads Task, clinical implications, and avenues for future research are discussed.
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Davie Hall, Campus Box 3270, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States. Electronic address: rjjacoby@unc.edu.
authors.forename: Ryan J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Jacoby
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Davie Hall, Campus Box 3270, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States. Electronic address: jabramowitz@unc.edu.
authors.forename: Jonathan S
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Abramowitz
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Davie Hall, Campus Box 3270, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States. Electronic address: reuman@email.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Lillian
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Reuman
authors.affiliation: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Davie Hall, Campus Box 3270, Chapel Hill, NC 27599, United States. Electronic address: sblakey@email.unc.edu.
authors.forename: Shannon M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Blakey
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001007:Anxiety / Q000523:psychology*; D003657:Decision Making; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D011446:Prospective Studies; D057566:Self Report; D013334:Students; D035501:Uncertainty; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Anxiety disorders; Behavioral assessment; Decision making; Physiological stress; Uncertainty