A study was conducted to examine the effects of tolerance for ambiguity, utility of information, and threat to self-esteem on opinion-related information seeking. It was hypothesized that individuals relatively unable to tolerate ambiguity would show a general tendency to seek supportive rather than objective information and that a potential threat to self-esteem combined with low information utility would produce the greatest support-seeking behavior. These predictions were supported by the data. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for social comparison theory.
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