Chick Christina F, Reyna Valerie F, Corbin Jonathan C
Department of Human Development, Human Neuroscience Institute, Cornell University.
Department of Human Development, Cornell University.
J Exp Psychol Learn Mem Cogn. 2016 Feb;42(2):238-56. doi: 10.1037/xlm0000158. Epub 2015 Sep 7.
Theoretical accounts of risky choice framing effects assume that decision makers interpret framing options as extensionally equivalent, such that if 600 lives are at stake, saving 200 implies that 400 die. However, many scholars have argued that framing effects are caused, instead, by filling in pragmatically implied information. This linguistic ambiguity hypothesis is grounded in neo-Gricean pragmatics, information leakage, and schema theory. In 2 experiments, we conducted critical tests of the linguistic ambiguity hypothesis and its relation to framing. We controlled for this crucial implied information by disambiguating it using instructions and detailed examples, followed by multiple quizzes. After disambiguating missing information, we presented standard framing problems plus truncated versions, varying types of missing information. Truncations were also critical tests of prospect theory and fuzzy trace theory. Participants were not only college students, but also middle-age adults (who showed similar results). Contrary to the ambiguity hypothesis, participants who interpreted missing information as complementary to stated information nonetheless showed robust framing effects. Although adding words like "at least" can change interpretations of framing information, this form of linguistic ambiguity is not necessary to observe risky choice framing effects.
风险选择框架效应的理论解释假定，决策者将框架选项解释为外延等价，即如果600人的生命受到威胁，拯救200人意味着400人死亡。然而，许多学者认为，框架效应相反是由填充语用隐含信息导致的。这种语言模糊性假设基于新格赖斯语用学、信息泄露和图式理论。在两项实验中，我们对语言模糊性假设及其与框架的关系进行了关键测试。我们通过使用说明和详细示例消除其歧义，随后进行多次测验，来控制这种关键的隐含信息。在消除缺失信息的歧义后，我们呈现了标准框架问题以及截断版本，改变缺失信息的类型。截断也是对前景理论和模糊痕迹理论的关键测试。参与者不仅有大学生，还有中年成年人（他们表现出相似的结果）。与模糊性假设相反，那些将缺失信息解释为与陈述信息互补的参与者仍然表现出强烈的框架效应。虽然添加“至少”这样的词可以改变对框架信息的解释，但这种语言模糊形式对于观察风险选择框架效应并非必要。
