A Study on Various Framing Effects in Medical Decision Making

The way information is presented (framed) influences decision making significantly has been illustrated in various studies (Tversky & Kahneman, 1981; Levin, Schneider, & Gaeth, 1998; Bigman, Cappella, & Hornik, 2010). This study is about different types of framing effects in the context of medical situations. The various framing effects studied were Risky choice, Attribute and Goal. Fifty undergraduate students were presented with all the above framing situations individually. Their ratings and choices were recorded. The analysis of data showed that two frames viz Risky choice and Attribute were found to be significant with size effect Cohen's d 0.72 and 0.61 respectively. Similar findings were found by Pengetal. (2013). Tversky and Kahneman (1981) explained the Risky choice framing effect in terms of the certainty effect. Certainty effect is the tendency to seek risk when the outcome is less acceptable. Levin and Gaeth (1988) suggested that the framing effect in the Attribute type occurs because favorable characterizations produce favourable associations leading to changes in decisions. These framing effects thus have major implications for decision-making in medical situations including critical illnesses/ diseases.