Citation

Klar Y, Ayal S. J. Exp. Soc. Psychol. 2004; 40(6): 805-814.

Affiliation

Department of Psychology, Tel-Aviv University, Ramat Aviv, 69978, Israel

Copyright

(Copyright © 2004, Elsevier Publishing)

DOI

10.1016/j.jesp.2004.04.006

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Price, Pentecost, and Voth (2002) argue that common rather than rare negative future life events elicit greater indirect self-others comparative optimism. We argue that this finding may reflect a measurement effect: Rare events generate small differences (but large ratios), whereas common events produce larger differences (but smaller ratios). In Study 1, we show that the greater is event's perceived frequency, the greater is the numerical value assigned to express a given degree of risk discrepancy. In Study 2, we found weak negative rather than positive relations between perceived event frequency and the sense of risk discrepancy. Thus, it is crucial to understand how participants relate the two risk probabilities to each other to estimate their indirect comparative optimism. Issues of assaults, house fires, motor vehicle crashes, and other injury issues are discussed along with other life events.