TOLERANCE TO AMBIGUITY: NEW RESEARCH METHODS AND THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVES (2022 – 2025)
Funded by the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences
Team:
Prof. Dr. Katya Stoycheva – Principal Investigator; Kalina Popova
Objective:
The research interest in personality behavior in ambiguous situations has increased significantly. According to Web of Science data, for example, there are 1331 publications with the keyword “ambiguity tolerance” across over 40 different research areas; 1087 of them have been published since 2000. There is also a growing interest in understanding the numerous empirical results. Out of 50 review articles, 47 were published after 2000, and just in the last five years, 25 such articles have been published. In this context, the topic of tolerance-intolerance towards uncertainty is current and significant.
The main objective of this project is to update our proposed model of ambiguity tolerance (Stoycheva, 2003) in light of new theories, approaches, and data.
Main Tasks:
Review of psychological literature on ambiguity tolerance since 2000 and integration of new developments and results into the proposed (Stoycheva, 2003) model of the role of ambiguity tolerance in behavior and personality development.
After identifying relevant publications in scientific databases, their thematic analysis will outline the contemporary field of development of the issue, new trends, and leading spheres of current research interest. The conclusion will provide a conceptual synthesis of new data on AT and its influence on behavior in various life domains.
Systematization of new results based on the methodology developed for researching ambiguity tolerance at work (Stoycheva, 2014).
Assessment of psychometric characteristics of newly developed methods: self-assessment questionnaire for AT – non-AT behavior at work and questionnaire for professional preferences towards AT and non-AT work environment. Summarization of data on the validity of these two instruments.
Summarization of data from the scale for attitudes towards tolerant-intolerant ambiguity behavior (Stoycheva, 2003) and development of a conceptual model for the role of value attitudes in personality behavior in ambiguous situations.
After developing the original Bulgarian scale for assessing attitudes towards TN-InTN behavior, used among students and their parents and teachers (Stoycheva, 2003; 2005) and tested among students (Stoycheva & Popova, 2019), data from three empirical studies with students and three empirical studies with pupils will be summarized. The aim of this analysis is to fully evaluate the reliability and validity of the scale and to outline its contributions and applications.
Research output:
Stoycheva, K., Popova, K. (2022) Tolerance-Intolerance Towards Ambiguity at Work: New Research Methods. In: Proceedings of the Jubilee International Scientific Conference “Psychology – Tradition and Modernity” (pp. 227-236). June 1-3, 2022, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia.
Stoycheva, K., Popova, K. (2023) Tolerance-Intolerance Towards Ambiguity at Work: Links with Related Personality Characteristics. Report at the X Jubilee International Congress on Psychology, November 3-5, 2023, Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia.