Name: how message framing shapes decisions
Uploaded: 2020-02-12T11:07:43.000Z
Duration: 3 min 26 s
Channel: JoVE

The presentation of information&mdash;both how and when items are presented&mdash;may disproportionately influence peoples&rsquo; perceptions and decisions.

For instance, on a trip to the grocery store, a woman observes several ads on her way in. Apparently, the initial one influenced her thoughts about the subsequent displays as she&rsquo;s heading towards the section that positively promotes the product.

In this situation, she&rsquo;s swayed by the primacy effect&mdash;one type of order effect whereby information that&rsquo;s presented first has more impact on judgment than information arranged later.

Down the aisle, another shopper glances at the same store ads. He seems focused on the last entry, evidently forgetting about the previous ones. As a result, he&rsquo;s repulsed and quickly moves along to avoid buying the item.

This latter case highlights the recency effect&mdash;another type of order effect whereby information that&rsquo;s presented later has more impact than information given earlier. In other words, the most recently encountered material is more likely to be remembered.

Both of these effects can also be classified as framing effects&mdash;influences that occur due to the way information is framed in its appearance, whether it&rsquo;s

framing effects

Framing Effects

Information is everywhere and its presentation&mdash;such as how and when items are presented&mdash;can impact our perceptions and decisions surrounding the info. This broad concept umbrellas framing effects&mdash;influences that occur due to the way information is framed in its appearance, whether it&rsquo;s purely the order or the specific wording of a message. Let&rsquo;s take a look at numerous ways in which two versions of something can objectively say the same thing, yet we respond in different ways based on the scenario&rsquo;s formulation and on our norms and habits.

Valence Framing

Not all frames are created equally. Levin and colleagues described three different kinds of&nbsp;framing when positive and negative terms are included in the information&nbsp;(Levin, Schneider, and Gaeth, 1998). One is called risky-choice framing and was introduced in original research by Tversky and Kahneman (1981). They highlighted how individuals might have a different preference in a different framing of the same problem. In this case, university students were presented with a particular scenario. Half (n=152) were given the first two options below that involved saving lives (i.e., positive gains and risk-aversion) and the other half (n=155) were given the latter two choices that involved losing lives (i.e., negative losses and risk-taking).

Adapted from (Tversky &amp; Kahneman, 1981):

Group 1 

If Program A is adopted, 200 people will be saved.

If Program B is adopted, there is 1/3 probability that 600 people will be saved, and 2/3 probability that no people will be saved.

-----

Group 2 

If Program C is adopted 400 people will die.

If Program D is adopted there is 1/3 probability that nobody will die, and 2/3 probability that 600 people will die.

The majority (72%) in Group 1 chose Program A&mdash;a prospect of certainty over risk, even when the expected values are equal. In the second group, the majority (78%) chose Program D. The certain death was likely less acceptable, so students chose to take a risk, again even though the expected values are essentially identical.

A second type of valence framing is called attribute framing. In this case, a single attribute within a given context is the subject of manipulation.&nbsp;For example, in the grocery store, two characters chose the charging product associated with a positive frame over the negative one. They more likely interpreted the positive message as a more appealing item than one negatively marketed, even though they possess an identical amount of potential effectiveness. Such examples have been shown across other domains, including experts in healthcare (McNeil, Pauker, Sox, &amp; Tversky, 1982).

A third type of valence framing&mdash;goal framing&mdash;refers to&nbsp;focusing on the goal of obtaining either a positive consequence or gain (positive frame) or avoiding the negative consequence or loss (negative frame). This type of effect is common in studies of&nbsp;persuasive communication, where the goal is to understand which frame will have the greater impact on achieving the same end result. For example, in a study on credit card use, customers were found to be more receptive to messaging that stressed losses from using a credit card (meaing they would pay a surcharge if they used the card) compared to messaging that described gains, like receiving a discount, from using it (Ganzach &amp; Karsahi, 1995).&nbsp;&nbsp;

Spin Framing

Another more generic type is called spin framing&mdash;framing effects that involve varying the content of what is presented. Often times, spin framing highlights a company&rsquo;s competitive edge, mission, or political agenda (Lakoff, 2004). One example in the video highlighted a situation that is often presented across different media outlets: The same object or group of people may be labeled with different connotations. Such messaging influences how people react and make decisions around words that signify certain aspects over others. Given that negative terminology may attract more attention and have much deeper and longer-lasting psychological and neurological impacts compared to positive wording, people tend to harbor final impressions that allow the bad to outweigh the good (Baumeister et al., 2001; LeDoux, Romanski, &amp; Xagoraris, 1989). In addition, when people were given negative information rather than positive information, they generally requested less information to confidently and quickly make their decision (Yzerbyt &amp; Lyons, 1991).

Temporal Framing

We also think about actions and events within a temporal frame&mdash;a perspective of something occurring within a certain time span, like the past, the present moment, or future, as well as distance, such as near and far (Fujita, Henderson, Eng, Trope, &amp; Liberman, 2006). According to Trope, Liberman, and colleagues, individuals&rsquo; judgments and decisions about a particular event can change depending on its temporal frame.

Order Effects

The last category of framing effects&mdash;order effects&mdash;are the purest type, meaning that the information presented is completely identical and only the order of presentation changes. One type is the primacy effect&mdash;an order effect whereby information that&rsquo;s presented first has more impact on judgment than information arranged later. Examples of this effect include: someone who wants to go first so that their performance is judged more favorably than those who follow and advertisers who pay to make sure that their product is the first item that people see. In contrast, sometimes, the last thing presented comes to mind more easily. This case refers the recency effect&mdash;another type of order effect whereby information that&rsquo;s presented later has more impact than information given earlier. If you were conflicted about whether to go last or first, this may be why. Someone may be swayed by the very last performance instead of the first!

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Information is everywhere and its presentation&mdash;such as how and when items are presented&mdash;can impact our perceptions and decisions surrounding ...

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Social Psychology

Foundations of Social Psychology

Social Judgement and Decision-Making

KEY TERMS AND CONCEPTS

how message framing shapes decisions

Message framing shapes how people judge information and make decisions. The same facts can lead to different responses depending on how they are presented. That can mean the wording, the order, or the time frame of the message.

One major group is valence framing, which uses positive and negative wording. Levin and colleagues described three forms of this framing. Risky-choice framing, first shown by Tversky and Kahneman, demonstrates that people may choose differently when the same problem is described as a gain or a loss.

In that classic study, university students saw two versions of a life-saving program. When the choices were framed as saving lives, most students picked the certain option. When the same choice was framed as deaths, most students chose the risky option, even though the expected values were essentially the same.

A second form of valence framing is attribute framing. Here, one feature of an object or idea is described in a positive or negative way. In the video, a product was seen as more appealing when it was described with positive wording, even though it had the same possible effectiveness as the negatively framed version. Similar effects have also been found in healthcare settings.

A third form is goal framing. This version focuses on either gaining a positive outcome or avoiding a negative one. Studies of persuasive communication often test which frame works better for the same goal. For example, credit card customers were more responsive to messages about avoiding a surcharge than to messages about getting a discount.

Another type is spin framing, which changes the content or angle of what is presented. This approach is often used to highlight a company’s competitive edge, mission, or political agenda. The same person or group can be labeled with different connotations across media outlets, and that wording can shape reactions and decisions. Negative wording often leaves a stronger final impression, and people may ask for less information when they receive negative details than when they receive positive ones.

Temporal framing looks at actions and events across time. An event can be framed as close or far away, or as part of the past, present, or future. Trope, Liberman, and colleagues showed that people’s judgments can change when the same event is placed in a different time frame.

The last category is order effects, where the information itself stays the same and only the sequence changes. The primacy effect happens when the first information has the biggest impact on judgment. This is why someone may want to perform first, or why advertisers may try to make sure their product is the first one people see. The recency effect is the opposite. The last information can have the strongest influence because it is easiest to remember, which is why the final performance may sway a decision.

How Message Framing Shapes Decisions

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Message framing shapes how people judge information and make decisions. The same facts can lead to different responses depending on how they are presented. That can mean the wording, the order, or the time frame of the message. One major group is valence framing, which uses positive and negative wording. Levin and colleagues described three forms of this framing. Risky-choice framing, first shown by Tversky and Kahneman, demonstrates that people may choose differently when the same problem is...

key terms and concepts

Explore how wording, order, and timing change judgment through valence framing, spin framing, temporal framing, and primacy and recency effects.

How Message Framing Shapes Decisions | JoVE K12

JoVE Core Social Psychology offers a comprehensive learning experience on the principles of social behavior through concise, animated video lessons. The series explores key topics such as self-concept, social cognition, group dynamics, stereotypes, and relationships. It provides a structured foundation for understanding human behavior in social situations. Students gain insights into how individuals think, feel, and behave in social contexts while examining the psychological processes that influence interactions and judgments. By integrating theory with real-world applications, these lessons offer a clear and engaging approach to mastering essential concepts in social psychology.

social psychology

How Message Framing Shapes Decisions

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