Causal Uncertainty and Computer-Mediated Communication

Abstract

Causal uncertainty is the experience of persistent doubts about one’s ability to identify the causes of social events (Weary & Edwards, 1996). Causally uncertain people are more depressed (Weary & Edwards, 1994, 1996), more likely to be rejected by their roommates (Jacobson, Rytwinski, & Passey, 2006), and report more negative perceptions about their close relationships (Boucher, 2015; Boucher & Jacobson, 2012). If causally uncertain people experience interpersonal difficulties in face-to-face (FtF) exchanges, they may use other means of communicating, such as computer-mediated communication (CMC; e.g., texting, email). The current research tested if causally uncertain people preferred CMC over FtF communication. For Studies 1 and 2, data were collected at two time points, the original data collection in 2004-2005, and the replication data collection over 10 years later, in 2018-2019. In Study 1, causally uncertain people self-reported that they preferred CMC over FtF in both data collections. In Study 2, participants interacted with a stranger in the lab either via CMC or FtF to determine their communication preferences during a real conversation. In the original data collection, causally uncertain people preferred CMC over FtF. However, in the replication study, causally uncertain people disliked both conversation modes. In an attempt to reconcile the discrepant results from Study 2, I manipulated instruction conditions for in-lab CMC conversations in Study 3. I replicated the results found in the present-day cohort in Study 2, suggesting that communication preferences for causally uncertain people have changed since 2005, perhaps due to the ubiquity of smart phones and online communication.