The Role of Attention in Attribute Framing

Abstract The attribute‐framing bias refers to message recipients' tendency to evaluate objects framed positively (75% success) more favorably than they do objects framed negatively (25% failure), although one description is implied as the complementary of the other, and they are logically equivalent. According to the association‐valence account, positive or negative framing activates corresponding positive or negative associations that bias evaluations. By contrast, the attention account contends that focusing attention on one frame while neglecting the complementary frame leads to evaluation biases. The present study focused on the contribution of attention mechanisms to the attribute‐framing bias. In two experiments, participants rated objects presented in framing scenarios, following a manipulation question that shifted their attention to the complementary frame. Experiment 1 used an explicit attention shift, obtained by presenting questions directly related to the target scenario. Experiment 2 used an implicit attention shift, obtained by presenting questions unrelated to the target scenarios. Whereas explicit attention shift eliminated the bias, implicit attention shift only moderately diminished it. Jointly, these results provide empirical support for the contribution of attention mechanism to the attribute‐framing bias but do not rule out the possible contribution of other mechanisms, such as the association‐valence account. While previous studies discussed the role of attention in attribute‐framing bias, mainly as a post hoc theoretical account, the innovation of the current study is that it demonstrates empirically the contribution of attention. Moreover, in highlighting the joint contribution of association valence and attention mechanisms, this study advances the theoretical understanding of the cognitive processes underlying attribute‐framing bias. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.