Causal Uncertainty: Factor Structure and Relation to the Big Five Personality Factors

Two studies provide construct validity evidence for the Causal Uncertainty Scale. In the first study, the factor structure of the CUS was validated. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses indicated that the CUS is composed of two highly correlated factors, uncertainty about the causes of one's own outcomes and uncertainty about the causes of others' outcomes. Relationships between these two factors and a variety of other variables were assessed. In the second study, the relationship between the CUS, its two factors, and the Big Five personality factors was examined. The CUS was found to be related only to Neuroticism. Participants' causal uncertainty scores were significantly better predictors of their confidence in causal hypotheses than were their Neuroticism scores. It is suggested that causal uncertainty may operate in a domain-specific fashion.