Abstract
The results of three studies are reported in which male and female subjects responded to risk and caution life-dilemma problems in either a standard discussion or a control procedure. Exp. 1 showed that subjects' recall of their initial positions shifted to match their final positions but only on risk dilemmas. Exp. 2 reconstructed subjects' recall of their initial positions from their perceived shift and found that subjects' reconstructed recall shifted toward their final positions for both dilemma types but more so on risk dilemmas. Exp. 3 found that subjects changed the meaning of the probability scale on risk dilemmas only. Taken together, the results are interpreted to mean that the value of risk is an ego-ideal, since subjects apparently wish to view themselves as having been consistently risky but that shifts to caution are brought about through some sort of social-comparison process.
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