Resumen de Does lacking threat-management resources increase information avoidance? A multi-sample, multi-method investigation

Jennifer L. Howell, Benjamin S. Crosier, James A. Shepperd

• Are people who lack personal and interpersonal resources are more likely to avoid learning potentially threatening information? We conducted four studies assessing three different populations (undergraduates, high school students, and a nationally-representative sample of adults), using a variety of measures and methods (e.g., single and multi-item self-report measures, a behavioral measure, social network analysis), across three information contexts (i.e., general health information, specific disease risk, socially-evaluative information). The consistent finding is that people who lack personal and interpersonal resources to manage threat are more likely to avoid learning potentially-threatening information. The results indicate that personal and interpersonal resources represent generalizable and robust predictors of information avoidance.