Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Framing Effects

Framing Effects

Information is everywhere and its presentation—such as how and when items are presented—can impact our perceptions and decisions surrounding the info. This broad concept umbrellas framing effects—influences that occur due to the way information is framed in its appearance, whether it’s purely the order or the specific wording of a message. Let’s take a look at numerous ways in which two versions of something can objectively say the same thing, yet we respond in...

Position-effect Variegation

Position-effect Variegation

In 1928, a German botanist Emil Heitz observed the moss nuclei with a DNA binding dye. He observed that while some chromatin regions decondense and spread out in the interphase nucleus, others do not. He termed them euchromatin and heterochromatin, respectively. He proposed that the heterochromatin regions reflect a functionally inactive state of the genome. It was later confirmed that heterochromatin is transcriptionally repressed, and euchromatin is transcriptionally active chromatin.

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth Perception and Spatial Vision

Depth perception is the ability to perceive objects three-dimensionally. It relies on two types of cues: binocular and monocular. Binocular cues depend on the combination of images from both eyes and how the eyes work together. Since the eyes are in slightly different positions, each eye captures a slightly different image. This disparity between images, known as binocular disparity, helps the brain interpret depth. When the brain compares these images, it determines the distance to an object.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Cognitive reflection is a distinct and measurable trait.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2024

Same author

"Heads or tails?"--a reachability bias in binary choice.

Journal of experimental psychology. Learning, memory, and cognition·2014

Same author

Predicting World Cup results: do goals seem more likely when they pay off?

Psychonomic bulletin & review·2008

Same author

Trial by polygraph: reconsidering the use of the guilty knowledge technique in court.

Law and human behavior·2002

Same author

Where did 1850 happen first--in America or in Europe? A cognitive account for a historical bias.

Psychological science·2002

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 7, 2026

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Published on: April 11, 2025

Position Effects in Choice From Simultaneous Displays: A Conundrum Solved.

Maya Bar-Hillel¹

¹Federmann Center for the Study of Rationality, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem maya@huji.ac.il.

Perspectives on Psychological Science : a Journal of the Association for Psychological Science

|July 17, 2015

Summary

People often face choices from displayed options, but position effects yield inconsistent results. This study unifies these position effects using basic psychological principles.

Keywords:

edge aversion interactive choice middle bias primacy reachability representativeness salience serial position effect strategic choice

More Related Videos

Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance

Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance

Published on: December 5, 2025

Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios

Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios

Published on: August 4, 2023

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 7, 2026

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Development of a Gaze-Contingent Display Framework Designed for Perceptual and Oculomotor Research with Simulated Central Vision Loss

Published on: April 11, 2025

Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance

Online Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation of Dorsomedial and Dorsolateral Prefrontal Cortex in Cognition Decision Making, and Cognitive Dissonance

Published on: December 5, 2025

Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios

Author Spotlight: A Novel Setup to Conduct Naturalistic Laboratory Experiments with Real Human Actors in Scenarios

Published on: August 4, 2023

Area of Science:

Cognitive Psychology
Behavioral Economics
Decision Science

Background:

Consumers frequently encounter choices presented simultaneously in various contexts, from digital menus to physical retail displays.
Existing research on position effects in choice tasks reveals seemingly contradictory findings across different scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

To develop a unified framework explaining the varied position effects observed in everyday choices.
To demonstrate how common psychological principles can account for these position-dependent biases.

Main Methods:

Review and synthesis of existing studies on choice position effects across diverse domains (e.g., menus, tests, retail, voting).
Application of established psychological principles to interpret and reconcile discrepant findings.

Main Results:

Position effects are not uniform; advantages can occur at the beginning, middle, or end of a list depending on the context.
Examples include menu items (first/last advantage), multiple-choice tests (middle advantage), supermarket shelves (middle advantage), and ballots (first advantage).

Conclusions:

A coherent framework using fundamental psychological principles can explain the seemingly inconsistent position effects in choice.
Understanding these principles can help predict and potentially mitigate choice biases related to item placement.