The following text discusses cognitive science.
The "framing effect" demonstrates that how choices are presented influences decisions as much as the choices themselves. Describing a surgery as having a "90% survival rate" versus a "10% mortality rate" produces different responses despite identical information. This challenges rational choice theory, which assumes stable preferences that should not shift with framing. Yet framing effects may not be purely irrational: different frames highlight different considerations. "Mortality" evokes loss, legitimately relevant to medical decisions. The debate concerns which framings are manipulative and which provide useful perspectives.
What does the framing effect challenge in rational choice theory?
The assumption that preferences should remain stable across equivalent presentations
The idea that choices have consequences
The existence of any decision-making process
The ability to present information in multiple ways
Correct Answer: A
Choice A is the correct answer. The framing effect "challenges rational choice theory, which assumes stable preferences that should not shift with framing"—yet they do shift.
- Evidence: Different responses to identical information.
- Reasoning: If preferences were stable, framing wouldn't matter.
- Conclusion: Preference instability across equivalent frames challenges the assumption.
Choice B is incorrect because consequences aren't in question. Choice C is incorrect because decision-making exists; its nature is debated. Choice D is incorrect because multiple presentations are acknowledged, not challenged.