Tversky & Kahneman (1986)- cognitive- Biases in Thinking and Decision Making, Thinking and Decision Making

Question 1

Aim

Answer 1

To test the influence of positive and negative frames on decision-making

Question 2

Procedure

Answer 2

Researchers used a self-selected (volunteer) sample of 307 US undergraduate students.

Participants chose between two programs to respond to a disease outbreak, framed either positively (lives saved) or negatively (deaths). They picked between a certain outcome or a risky outcome based on the frame given.

Question 3

Results

Answer 3

When information was framed positively, participants preferred the certain option. When framed negatively, they preferred the risky option.

This shows how framing influences decision-making by affecting people’s risk perception—people avoid risks when outcomes are positive but take more risks to avoid losses.

Question 4

Cognitive Bias

Answer 4

systematic errors in thinking that affects the decisions and judgments that people make.

Question 5

Identify the 3 Reasons we have Cognitive Biases

Answer 5

1. We are Cognitive Misers
2. We use heuristics (mental shortcuts to come to a decision)
3. When our working memory is overloaded, we can’t reason well and show cognitive biases.

Question 6

Framing Effect

Answer 6

Where people decide on options based on if the options are presented with positive or negative semantics.

E.G
A product that has been proven effective 80% of the time.
A product that has failed to work on 2 out of every 10 cases.