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Does Unrealistic Optimism Change Following a Negative Experience? 1
Author(s) -
Mkenna Frank P.,
Albery Ian P.
Publication year - 2001
Publication title -
journal of applied social psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.822
H-Index - 111
eISSN - 1559-1816
pISSN - 0021-9029
DOI - 10.1111/j.1559-1816.2001.tb02667.x
Subject(s) - debiasing , optimism , generality , psychology , social psychology , differential effects , risk perception , perception , psychotherapist , medicine , neuroscience
One important counteracting force that may decrease the effects of unrealistic optimism is personal experience with threat. To examine this hypothesis, several groups were examined who had been exposed to varying degrees of threat. It was found that only those who had been exposed to the most severe threat (being hospitalized after a road accident) showed differential comparative risk estimates from those who had experienced no threat. Differences between these two groups were also found for their self‐reported risk behavior. The generality of the debiasing effect was assessed by examining risk perceptions in other domains. It was found that the effect was domain specific.