Framing Effect
People tend to make decisions based on the way a problem is phrased rather than on its content
People tend to make decisions based on the way a problem is phrased rather than on its content
The way information is presented can influence our decisions. Whether information is presented in a way that emphasizes certain features can determine whether we find it more or less appealing.
When making decisions based on the framing effect, one focuses on the way the information is presented instead of the information itself. The consequence of this is that poor information or fewer options may be framed in a positive light, making them more attractive than they would otherwise be.
The framing effect can play a significant role in shaping public opinion. Framing can affect how the public interprets public affairs and other newsworthy events. When issues or positions that benefit the majority of people are framed negatively, they may be perceived negatively as well. Conversely, policies and actions that do not advance the public good may be popular because their positive attributes are effectively emphasized. 1.
There is a massive amount of proof demonstrating that climate change will result in significant expenses down the road, and that those expenses will be borne by disadvantaged communities. Despite this, a lot of North American citizens do not believe in climate change or believe that carbon taxes will negatively affect the average individual. This is because some media outlets and politicians have framed climate change as a scientifically controversial issue, emphasizing its short-term economic costs.
There are certain ways to frame options that influence our choices. Using certain words, reference points, and emphases, we are drawn to either a positive gain or a negative loss associated with an option. Because we tend to avoid loss, we are particularly susceptible to this type of framing.
Psychological scientists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky created “prospect theory” to explain how framing operates. According to this theory, we value avoiding losses more than we value acquiring equivalent gains (Kahneman & Tversky, 1984, p. 263). We prefer a probable loss over a guaranteed loss or a probable gain over a guaranteed gain (p. 263). Because we want to avoid sure losses, we look for choices that offer certain gains. The way something is framed can influence our perception of whether it will bring us benefits or losses. That is why we find it alluring when the advantages rather than the disadvantages of an option are emphasized.
We often rely on mental shortcuts to process and evaluate data efficiently. The framing effect may be explained by the availability and affect heuristics. Using the availability heuristic, we choose future decisions based on information that is simple to access. Older adults with reduced cognitive resources prefer information that is easy to process and remember, which may contribute to the framing effect. Framing effects are more common in older adults who have limited cognitive resources. We prefer choices framed in a way that makes information simple to understand and remember.
When making decisions, we rely heavily on our emotional state rather than considering the long-term ramifications. This may be why we favor information and choices that elicit an immediate emotional response. Information and options that are framed to evoke an immediate emotional response are, in other words, popular with us. Research has shown that framing depends on emotional appeals and can elicit specific emotions. A politician who gives an emotional speech that inspires change, for example, would be more likely to garner votes than a candidate who gives the same speech in dull report form.
The framing effect can both positively and negatively impact our lives, as discussed previously. It may mislead us into making worse decisions by glamorizing bad information or fewer alternatives. In other words, we may devalue what is being said (the framing) rather than the message itself, which is usually more significant. As a result, we may opt for worse options that are better framed rather than worse options or information that is framed poorly. This notion applies to both the small and large decisions we make as consumers and citizens.
We can also benefit from an understanding of this phenomenon, as we can use it to our benefit. We can make our message more attractive and effective by understanding how people are influenced by frames. It is important to remember how we frame our work when collaborating with or managing other people. Framing information in a way that emphasizes certain outcomes will help us make our work more attractive and effective.
“Management communication lecturer Melissa Raffoni’s”
Framing effects can be reduced by employing a few strategies. People who are more 'invested' in an issue are less likely to be influenced by the framing around it. According to a 2010 study, 'individuals who are more invested in an issue are more motivated to process persuasive messages systematically, acquire information about the product, and remain less susceptible to framing effects.' In contrast, those who are less involved are more vulnerable.
In light of these discoveries, we should carefully consider issues and strive to become more knowledgeable about them. According to the authors, previous research has suggested that framing bias would be eliminated if people thought more carefully about their choices or that older people would make better choices if they examined more relevant information.7
According to a 1997 study, providing rationales for our choices helps to eliminate framing effects, because forcing participants to engage in more detailed mental processing has this effect. 8 Unfortunately, we may discover that the way in which an option or piece of information was presented influenced our choice excessively.
In 1979, Israeli psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman published the first scientific research on the framing effect, which proved its influence on our decision-making. Two years later, they published The Framing of Decisions and the Psychology of Choice, where they focused on framing effects.
Tversky and Kahneman asked participants to pick between two remedies for a lethal condition affecting 600 people. Treatment A had a 33% chance that nobody would perish but a 66% chance that everyone would perish, whereas treatment B resulted in 400 fatalities. Participants were presented with either a positive framing (how many individuals would live) or a negative one (how many individuals would perish) in order to make a decision. Treatment A was favored by the greatest number of individuals (72%) when framed as saving 200 lives, but it had the least support (22%) when framed as losing 400 lives. It was demonstrated that the choices we make are also influenced by the way they are framed.
When information is presented in a certain way, our decisions may be swayed. The Framing effect is the phenomenon in which certain features are emphasized, making the information more or less attractive.
We are drawn to this type of framing because of “prospect theory,” which suggests that we are drawn to avoiding certain losses. Prospect theory states that we are more concerned about avoiding losses than acquiring equivalent gains. Framing something in a specific manner can also influence how certain we feel that we will either gain or lose as a result of it. The reason we enjoy seeing the benefits of an option instead of its drawbacks is that we are more convinced that we will either gain or lose as a result of it.
Mental shortcuts referred to as “heuristics” may play a part as well. We prefer information that is simple to understand and remember because of the availability heuristic. Framing options and information in this way is more appealing than those that aren't, as a result of this heuristic. Because of the affect heuristic, we may prefer information and options that evoke an immediate emotional response. Framing relies on emotional appeals, and it can be used to evoke specific emotional responses.
An involvement with a subject matter makes people more keen on systematic processing of persuasive messages and acquiring specific information, according to a 2010 study. We should put some thought into our decisions and become more knowledgeable about them, based on these findings. A more precise technique that concurs with this general one is to give reasons for our choices. A 1997 study discovered that participants' framing effects were reduced when they were forced to think more intensively.
Confirmation Bias means we actively seek out information that agrees with our beliefs and dismiss contrary information.
Confirmation Bias means we actively seek out information that agrees with our beliefs and dismiss contrary information.
We tend to focus on trivial details and delay addressing complex subjects
