Current approaches to the concept of ambiguity

Abstract

The paper reports on the evolution of the concept of ambiguity, and presents a classifcation of its various types and of the main approaches to the problem of ambiguity within the context of the decision-making problem. In particular, two main approaches are described: the frst emphasizes ambiguity as an attribute of a situation, while the second claims that ambiguity is a personality-determined emotional experience. The problem of constructing a mental representation of ambiguity and the possible role of language in this process are also considered.