Can you spot this bias in action?
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Weve all heard someone say the glass is half full" or half empty.
That is the psychology of framing in a nutshell.
Vertigo3d / E+ / Getty
But the person only sees one formulation of the information, so to them, thats all there is.
Therefore, people can have different impressions of the same facts.
Framing As a Cognitive Bias
Framing is acognitive bias, or error in thinking.
This process of editing and evaluating choices means that our perception is biased by the way information is presented.
Dillon Harper, PhDand psychologist.
This can nudge us toward specific decisions without us even realizing it.
Emotional responses and mental shortcuts, orheuristics, are the psychological mechanisms behind the framing effect, Harper adds.
Take the above example of 90% fat-free cold cuts versus 10% fat cold cuts.
Your choice might not be logical but instead driven by your emotional reaction to the advertisers choice of words.
It encourages us to focus on the optimistic and makes us willing to take action, according to Harper.
Guarino cites different versions of the same story between different news stations.
This positive framing encourages people to opt for surgery better than the negative framing would.
Framing can impact public perception and shape behavior.
Theethical implicationsof framing depend on whether its used to inform or manipulate.
When its used to inform, it can be beneficial, says Harper.
You should also, according to Harper, be aware of how information is presented and consider alternative perspectives.
Asking yourself how the same information might be framed differently can help you see through the bias.
you might also perform your own research on the legitimacy of the information being framed, says Guarino.
As a result, these individuals may be more likely to accept misleading information.
Wrapping Up
Framing as a psychological tactic is all around us.
Reading this article is a good start to understanding framing.
This can go a long way toward guarding against the framing effect in psychology.
Kahneman D.Thinking, Fast and Slow.
Farrar, Straus and Giroux; 2013.
Maule J, Villejoubert G.What lies beneath: Reframing framing effects.
2007;13(1):25-44. doi:10.1080/13546780600872585
