Attribute Framing Effects Research Articles

The Effect of Attribute Framing and Justification on Capital Budgeting Decisions

This study aims to analyze the effect of the attribute framing and justification on decision making through the capital budgeting process. This study also aims to examine the effect of justification as moderation on the effect of attribute framing on capital budgeting decisions. The capital budgeting decision in this study is a decision toward the proposed capital budgeting project in the form of approving or rejecting the proposed project. This study uses a quasi-experimental research design with the data taken is primary data. The quasi-experimental research was designed 2 x 2 between subjects which was conducted to 83 financial students in the Magister of Management, Diponegoro University. Data analysis techniques used in this study were one-way ANOVA and two-way ANOVA.The results of the study shows that attribute framing and justification can influence decision making through the capital budgeting process. In particular, the information that is positively presented has an impact in the higher approval of a proposed capital budgeting project. This research also concluded that justification could not reduce the effect of the attribute framing on capital budgeting decisions. This shows that belief revision theory- foundation approach cannot explain the phenomenon of this study.

The Role of Inference in Attribute Framing Effects

AbstractPrevious research has shown that a speaker's choice between logically equivalent frames is influenced by reference point information, and that listeners draw accurate inferences based on the frame. Less clear, however, is whether these inferences play a causal role in generating attribute framing effects. Two experiments are reported, which suggest that frame‐dependent inferences are sufficient to generate attribute framing effects, and that blocking such inferences may block framing effects. Experiment 1 decomposed the typical framing design into two parts: One group of participants saw a target described in one of two attribute frames and reported their estimates (inferences) of the typical attribute value. These estimates were then given to a second group of yoked participants, who evaluated the target. Although this latter group was not exposed to different attribute frames, they nevertheless exhibited a “framing effect” as a result of receiving systematically different inferences. In contrast, Experiment 2 shows that experts—who are familiar with an attribute's distribution and are therefore less likely to draw strong frame‐based inferences—exhibit a diminished framing effect. Together, these findings underscore the role of inferences in the generation and attenuation of attribute framing effects. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The moderating role of objective and subjective numeracy in attribute framing.

Previous research has found that objective numeracy moderates framing effects: People who are less numerate were found to be more susceptible to goal-framing and attribute-framing effects than people who are highly numerate. This study examined the possibility that subjective numeracy likewise moderates attribute framing in contexts where participants are presented with percentages of success or failure. The results show that compared with highly numerate participants, less numerate participants were more susceptible to the effect of attribute framing. Interestingly, this moderating effect was revealed only when using objective numeracy measures, and not when subjective numeracy measures were used. Future research is suggested to replicate these findings, to establish the generalizability of numeracy as a moderator of other cognitive biases, and to examine several possible theoretical explanations for the differential moderation of attribute-framing bias.

Voice frequency impacts hemispheric processing of attribute frames

Attribute framing effects involve the activation of associations that promote information encoding in a way that is consistent with the descriptive valence of the frame. For example, positive frames invoke positive associations and negative frames invoke negative ones—these associations are then mapped onto evaluations. To predict the strength of attribute framing effects, we built on the idea that a speaker with a relatively low frequency voice produces enhanced right hemisphere processing whereas a speaker with a relatively high frequency voice produces enhanced left hemisphere processing. We found a strong framing effect when the holistic/contextual processing style of the right hemisphere was enhanced. In contrast, we observed a weak effect when we enhanced the inferential/analytical style of the left hemisphere. This work has theoretical implications for processes invoking associations, such as priming. It has applied implications for constructing effective persuasive messages.

GPA and Attribute Framing Effects: Are Better Students More Sensitive or More Susceptible?

Data from 2 studies show students differ in terms of how attribute framing alters perceptions and reactions in a decision-making episode. Using student GPA as a moderator, results from a role-play–decision-making exercise (Experiment 1) show perceptions and intended actions of higher GPA students were more strongly affected by attribute framing manipulations than were participants with lower GPAs. A second experiment helped explain these findings. Results from Experiment 2 suggest students with higher GPAs responded to the inferred meaning of framed messages; that is, they looked beyond the literal message to find the message intended.