Solving ambivalence in context: The experience and resolution of attitudinal ambivalence

The present dissertation seeks to further understanding of how individuals are affected by and subsequently deal with attitudinal ambivalence. By combining physiological (fMRI, facial EMG), self-report, and behavioral methods in as well as outside of the lab, further light was shed on (1) the circumstances under which ambivalence elicits negative affect, (2) (neural) processes underlying the resolution of ambivalence in choice situations, and (3) delaying a choice as a way of coping with having to make a choice about an ambivalent topic. Taken together, results of this dissertation suggests that how individuals are affected by and deal with ambivalence is context-dependent. By allowing individuals to weigh some evaluative aspect over others, contextual information determines which neural networks are engaged during the processing of ambivalent information and it shapes affective responses to ambivalence. Additionally, results suggest that delaying a choice is commonly used in order to deal with an ambivalent choice, however, it may not necessarily be beneficial for ambivalent decision-makers.