The Framing Bias

The tendency to draw conclusions based on how data are presented.

FOOD
: An ingredient's label saying "maple syrup" sounds better to us than one saying "cane sugar." We falsely conclude that the former is far better than the latter.

CLOTHES: Wearing a white lab coat frames medical personnel as more competent than they may be. We fall for uniforms when anyone can wear one.

MEDIA: A common framing-effect is produced by the media where news programs may try to follow the rules for objective reporting and yet inadvertently present the news in a way that prevents most audience members from making a balanced assessment of a situation.


TRASH: Framed Negatively: "You forgot to take out the trash. Why can't you remember such a simple chore?" Framed Positively: "Looks like the trash was forgotten again. Maybe we should set up a better reminder system. What are you using now?"