In Chapter 2 (How Psychologists Do Research), we learned that in survey research, the phrasing of questions needs to be considered. How is this related to the importance of wording as noted in Chapter 9 (Thinking and Intelligence),

Question

especially with regard to the tendency to avoid loss and minimize risk?

What will be an ideal response?

Answer 1

Answer: A good answer will include the following key points.
• In general, people try to avoid or minimize risks and losses when they make decisions.
• When a choice is framed as the risk of losing something, people will respond more cautiously than when the very same choice is framed as a potential gain.
• Survey questions need to be carefully worded to avoid biasing the responses that are received.
• For example, a survey about a newly developed medication might get very different results to the following two questions, even though they are asking the same thing:
o What is the likelihood that you would buy a new medication if there were an 80 percent chance that it would help you?
o What is the likelihood that you would buy a new medication if there were a 20 percent chance that it would not help you?