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Korean Journal of Psychology: General

ISSN : 1229-067X

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Vol.31 No.3

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Interaction Effect of Perceived Controllability and Event Frequency on Unrealistic Optimism: Direct versus Indirect Measures

Korean Journal of Psychology: General / Korean Journal of Psychology: General, (P)1229-067X; (E)2734-1127
2012, v.31 no.3, pp.809-823

(2012). Interaction Effect of Perceived Controllability and Event Frequency on Unrealistic Optimism: Direct versus Indirect Measures. Korean Journal of Psychology: General, 31(3), 809-823.

Abstract

Unrealistic optimism refers to people's tendency to consistently believe that risky events are less likely to happen to themselves than to others. Two experimental studies investigated the interaction between perceived controllability and event frequency of this unrealistic optimism by measuring it directly and indirectly using questionnaires. When using the direct method, unrealistic optimism was greater when an event frequency was low rather than high, and the interaction between perceived controllability and event frequency was not significant, which is consistent with the egocentrism account. On the other hand, when using the indirect method, the event frequency interacted with the perceived controllability. For uncontrollable events, the event frequency effect disappeared as the egocentrism account predicted, but for controllable events an opposite event frequency effect was found, which was that a greater rate of unrealistic optimism occurred when an event absolute frequency was high rather than low. This opposite event frequency effect occurred because the event frequency was considered lower for the subjects’ own likelihood estimates than others. Therefore, a kind of overconfidence of the subjects’ own control over risky events seems to produce the opposite event frequency effect on the unrealistic optimism when measuring with the indirect method. The importance of the opposite event frequency effect in risk perception and research of unrealistic optimism was discussed.

keywords
비현실적 낙관주의, 역빈도 효과, 직접과 간접방법, 지각된 통제성, 사건 빈도, 자기중심성, 위험 사건, Unrealistic optimism, opposite event frequency effect, direct and indirect measures, perceived controllability, event frequency, egocentrism, risky events

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