| dc.description.abstract | During the last decades, genetic information has become increasingly available and accessible. Because of this increase in availability, it is important to understand the psychological impact genetic testing has on consumers and its potential social and ethical implications. The purpose of this study was to examine how genetic beliefs might interact with behavior to influence the broader belief in free-will. Three hundred sixty-nine undergraduate participants were asked to provide a saliva sample, which was used as a deceptive mechanism, and were subsequently randomly assigned to learn that they possessed a gene variant that was associated with either risk-taking or risk-avoidance. Afterward, they completed a behavioral measure of risk-taking and a measure of free-will beliefs. Our results indicated that participants in the positive risk genetic feedback condition scored significantly higher on the risk-taking behavior measure compared to the participants assigned to the negative risk genetic feedback condition. However, the congruence between behavior and genetic feedback was not associated with a diminished perception of overall free-will amongst participants. We conclude that, even though the connection between genetic attributions and personal agency needs further investigation, our study provides additional evidence for the importance of genetic information by replicating the effect of genetic beliefs on behavior and contributes to the literature by showing that those effects are not limited to concrete, health-related, or stigmatized outcomes, or to variables with a strong expectation of heritability. | en |
