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How Outcome Framing and Feedback Influence Decision Patterns over Time
Maria Paula Armenta1, Sébastien Hélie1
1Department of Psychological Sciences, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907, USA.
Behavioral Sciences (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 28, 2026
Summary
Repeatedly framing decisions around losses, rather than gains, can decrease risk-taking over time. This study shows how loss aversion and feedback influence effortful choices and frustration.
Area of Science:
- Decision-making psychology
- Behavioral economics
Background:
- Loss aversion is a known bias, but its effect on repeated effortful decisions needs more study.
- Understanding how feedback in different contexts influences risk-taking is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how repeated loss framing impacts willingness to take risks.
- To examine the interplay between feedback, framing, and effortful decision-making over time.
Main Methods:
- Participants chose between easy and difficult tasks over 108 trials.
- Two conditions: gain (earning points) and loss (losing points).
- Effort, risk, and frustration levels were measured.
Main Results:
- Loss condition participants initially preferred the hard task but shifted to the easy task over time.
- Participants in the loss condition reported higher frustration.
- Framing and feedback jointly influenced decisions.
Conclusions:
- Repeated loss framing can decrease risk-taking and increase frustration.
- Decision-making is shaped by how outcomes are framed and learned through feedback.
- Affective states and learning interact in repeated effortful choices.
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