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Bounded ethicality: the perils of loss framing
1Department of Management, Box B9-240, Baruch College, New York, NY 10010, USA. mary.kern@baruch.cuny.edu
Psychological Science
|February 19, 2009
Summary
Framing effects impact ethical decision-making. People act less ethically when decisions are framed as potential losses compared to potential gains, especially under time pressure.
Area of Science:
- Decision Science
- Behavioral Economics
- Social Psychology
Background:
- Ethical decision-making is susceptible to cognitive biases.
- Framing effects, where presentation influences choices, are well-documented.
- Automaticity can override deliberate ethical considerations.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of loss versus gain framing on ethical behavior.
- To determine if framing effects influence specific unethical actions like information gathering and honesty.
- To examine the moderating role of time pressure on framing effects in ethical decisions.
Main Methods:
- Three experiments were conducted involving decision-makers and negotiators.
- Participants faced identical decisions framed as either potential losses or potential gains.
- Behavioral measures included information gathering preferences, honesty in negotiation, and the influence of time constraints.
Main Results:
- Decisions framed as losses led to significantly more unethical behavior than those framed as gains.
- Loss-framed decisions increased the likelihood of seeking insider information and lying during negotiation.
- The detrimental effect of loss framing on ethical conduct was exacerbated by time pressure.
Conclusions:
- The framing of a decision significantly influences ethicality, with loss frames promoting less ethical behavior.
- Automaticity and cognitive biases, such as framing effects, pose a threat to ethical decision-making.
- Mitigating time pressure can reduce the negative impact of loss-framed decisions on ethical conduct.
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