Framing as path-dependence

A 'framing' effect occurs when an agent's choices are not invariant under changes in the way a choice problem is formulated, e.g. changes in the way the options are described (violation of description invariance) or in the way preferences are elicited (violation of procedure invarianc...

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Main Authors: Gold, N, List, C
Format: Working paper
Published: University of Oxford 2002
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author Gold, N
List, C
author_facet Gold, N
List, C
author_sort Gold, N
collection OXFORD
description A 'framing' effect occurs when an agent's choices are not invariant under changes in the way a choice problem is formulated, e.g. changes in the way the options are described (violation of description invariance) or in the way preferences are elicited (violation of procedure invariance). In this paper we examine precisely which classical conditions of rationality it is whose non-satisfaction may lead to framing effects. We show that (under certain conditions), if (and only if) an agent's initial dispositions on a set of propositions are implicitly inconsistent, her decisions may be path-dependent, i.e. dependent on the order in which the propositions are considered. We suggest that different ways of framing a choice problem may induce the order in which relevant propositions are considered and hence affect the decision made. This theoretical explanation suggests some observations about human psychology which are consistent with those made by psychologists and provides a unified framework for explaining violations of description and procedure invariance.
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spelling oxford-uuid:cfe570c2-f8d2-49ba-b528-fadda742b7782022-03-27T07:46:03ZFraming as path-dependenceWorking paperhttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_8042uuid:cfe570c2-f8d2-49ba-b528-fadda742b778Symplectic ElementsBulk import via SwordUniversity of Oxford2002Gold, NList, CA 'framing' effect occurs when an agent's choices are not invariant under changes in the way a choice problem is formulated, e.g. changes in the way the options are described (violation of description invariance) or in the way preferences are elicited (violation of procedure invariance). In this paper we examine precisely which classical conditions of rationality it is whose non-satisfaction may lead to framing effects. We show that (under certain conditions), if (and only if) an agent's initial dispositions on a set of propositions are implicitly inconsistent, her decisions may be path-dependent, i.e. dependent on the order in which the propositions are considered. We suggest that different ways of framing a choice problem may induce the order in which relevant propositions are considered and hence affect the decision made. This theoretical explanation suggests some observations about human psychology which are consistent with those made by psychologists and provides a unified framework for explaining violations of description and procedure invariance.
spellingShingle Gold, N
List, C
Framing as path-dependence
title Framing as path-dependence
title_full Framing as path-dependence
title_fullStr Framing as path-dependence
title_full_unstemmed Framing as path-dependence
title_short Framing as path-dependence
title_sort framing as path dependence
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