Judgments of Vulnerability to Pregnancy: The Role of Risk Factors and Individual Differences

Abstract

This study explored women's integration of information in making judgments about vulnerability to pregnancy and examined the influence of personality characteristics on these judgments. Female participants made judgments of the likelihood of pregnancy for each of 24 scenarios created by within-subjects factorial manipulation of three variables: frequency of intercourse, method of contraception, and target (self vs. the average woman their age). Their judgments reflected knowledge of the effect of frequency of intercourse and efficacy of birth control on the likelihood of pregnancy and an understanding of the interaction of these two factors. The results also indicate that two personality characteristics, erotophobia and locus of control, moderate judgments of the likelihood of pregnancy.