Ghasemi, Omid;
Harris, Adam JL;
Newell, Ben R;
(2025)
From preference shifts to information leaks: examining individuals' sensitivity to information leakage in the framing effect.
Cognition
(In press).
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Text (Article)
ghasemiEtAl_2025.pdf - Accepted Version Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 18 August 2025. Download (1MB) |
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Text (Supplementary material)
ghasemiEtAl_2025_SMs.html Access restricted to UCL open access staff until 18 August 2025. Download (7MB) |
Abstract
The framing effect is a highly robust phenomenon, wherein logically equivalent options (e.g., 90% chance of winning vs. 10% chance of losing) trigger different preferences. The Information Leakage account provides a rational interpretation of this effect by suggesting that choice of frame ‘leaks’ information to decision-makers, making the frames informationally non-equivalent. For example, decision-makers might interpret a positive frame (e.g., 90% chance of winning) as an implicit recommendation to take a risk. In a series of six preregistered experiments (total N = 1211), we manipulated the informativeness of frames by 1) reducing the perceived freedom of a speaker to choose a frame (the Choice Limitation manipulation), and 2) varying the communication context between the speaker and the listener from collaborative to competitive (the Interest Alignment manipulation). We expected a diminished framing effect in scenarios where the leaked information conveys no useful or trustworthy cues. While the Choice Limitation manipulation occasionally attenuated the framing effect, particularly in within-subject designs, the Interest Alignment manipulation consistently led to a reduction in the framing effect in both within-subject and between-subject designs. These findings show that individuals can be adaptable and sensitive to the informational value of frames and suggest that competition prompts inferences more readily than a speaker’s agency over the choice of frame. The implications of these results for rational accounts of framing effects are discussed.
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