Incurious Motives to Seek Information about Potential Threats

Abstract

In Study 1, 20 incurious worry reduction motive (IWRM) items were administered to 280 participants along with curiosity and worry scales. With factor analysis, two six–item scales were developed: focus on distress (IWRM–FD) and focus on relief (IWRM–FR). IWRM–FD was associated with wanting positive news about threats, whereas IWRM–FR was related to wanting negative news to be free from further worry. Neither the curiosity nor worry scales predicted wanting information. In Study 2, the IWRM scales were administered to 170 participants along with a coping inventory. IWRM–FD correlated with avoidant–coping, whereas IWRM–FR was associated positively with active–coping and advice–seeking. The results suggest that IWRM–FD reflects a desire to minimize distress, whereas IWRM–FR motivates identifying and dealing directly with problems. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.