Framing

Small changes in how information is presented can dramatically change the resulting decision or behaviour. The same choice can be presented in radically different ways - for example would you choose to undertake a medical procedure with a 10% chance of dying, or one with a 90% chance of success?

Framing has long been a part of the marketer's toolkit. For example, in the 1950s, De Beers re-framed the cost of a diamond ring as "making a month's salary last a lifetime".

Framing is also an important consideration in the design of questionnaires and topic guides - we can accidentally "lead" respondents through the way we frame questions.