Watch for
Reacting to wording before checking the underlying facts.
Memory & AttentionBias #11
Framing Effect
Presentation changes how a choice feels.
Different presentations of the same information lead to different decisions, even when the underlying facts are identical.
Why it matters: Classic Kahneman and Tversky study. Demonstrates that preferences are not stable but depend on how options are described.
Try this
Rewrite the choice in neutral terms and compare again.
Real-world example
A treatment described as having a "90% survival rate" feels better than one with a "10% mortality rate."
Key researchers
Daniel Kahneman, Amos Tversky
First described in 1981
Psychological mechanism
Prospect Theory. Human decision-making is heavily asymmetrical. We are fundamentally risk-averse when choices are framed in terms of guaranteed gains, but we become highly risk-seeking when identical choices are framed in terms of avoiding potential losses.
Seminal research
Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman (1981), "The framing of decisions and the psychology of choice" (The seminal "Asian Disease Problem" experiment).
Related Biases
Below is a realistic scenario. Read it, then choose what you would do. The feedback will show whether a cognitive bias influenced your choice — not to judge, but to reveal the pattern in action.
Thought Experiment
This experiment places you in a realistic decision. Your instinctive choice will reveal whether bias is at work.
STEP 1 → ReadSTEP 2 → ChooseSTEP 3 → Reveal
Debrief
The framing effect reveals that humans are not rational evaluators of information — we are sensitive to context and wording. Skilled communicators can present the same facts to support opposite conclusions. The defence is to always translate framed statements into neutral, numeric form before deciding.
Sources
Original ResearchTversky & Kahneman (1981) — The framing of decisions
EducationalAPA Dictionary entry