Ambiguity tolerance and resting-state functional connectivity: A preregistered conceptual replication in a Japanese sample

Ambiguity tolerance has recently attracted renewed interest; however, its neural substrates remain underspecified, particularly considering their multidimensional structure. This preregistered study conceptually replicated and extended Liu et al. (2023) by examining how three dimensions of the Multidimensional Attitude toward Ambiguity Scale (MAAS)—Discomfort with Ambiguity (DA), Absolutism (AB), and Need for Complexity (NC)—relate to resting-state functional connectivity in a Japanese sample. Thirty-nine healthy young adults completed MRI scans and self-report measures. Based on prior work, associations were hypothesized between DA and amygdala–insula connectivity, AB and orbitofrontal–anterior cingulate connectivity, and NC and inferior parietal–middle frontal/middle cingulate connectivity. Region of interest (ROI)-to-ROI analyses controlling for age, sex, and head motion revealed no significant associations between any MAAS dimension and the corresponding connectivity pairs. Effect sizes were negligible, although NC showed a small zero-order correlation with inferior parietal lobule–middle cingulate cortex connectivity. These findings contrast with earlier reports using unidimensional ambiguity tolerance measures, suggesting that previously observed neural correlates may not map directly onto specific MAAS dimensions. The results highlight the need for larger, well-powered studies integrating multidimensional constructs and cross-cultural samples to clarify the neural architecture of ambiguity tolerance.