THE EFFECTS OF LOCUS OF CONTROL AND SELF-EFFICACY ON DECISION RESPONSIBILITIES IN AMBIGUOUS SITUATIONS

Abstract

Previous research has suggested that ambiguity hinders decision-making. Yet, little effort has examined the responsibilities that revolve around decision-making under ambiguity. The present research proposed the concept of decision responsibility – consisting of the responsibility of decision-making (pre-choice decision responsibility) and responsibility taken for the outcomes of one’s choices (post-choice decision responsibility) in ambiguous situations, and examined the impact of locus of control on these responsibilities. Study 1 predicted and demonstrated support for a mediation model in which an internal locus of control leads to greater pre-choice decision responsibility through higher self-efficacy. Based on previous findings regarding the self-serving bias, Study 2 tested the moderating effects of type of outcome for post-choice decision responsibility. Results revealed a non-significant interaction, however, both an external locus of control and bad outcomes was significantly associated with lower post-choice decision responsibility. These results highlight the potential role of individual traits in influencing decision responsibilities, and call for future research to explore the implications of decision responsibilities.