How Children Value Lives: The Framing Effect and Decision Making in Children

In life there are many instances in which people have to make decisions which are influenced by the framing of the question. The framing effect influences the decisions many people, from healthcare professionals to consumers, are impacted by. This study evaluates the way in which the framing of a question influences the decisions children make about the value of life in a sinking ship scenario. Children make decisions about which person to save (positive condition) or give up (negative condition) in similar ways to adults. The older the children are, the more they make the same decisions as adults. The framing effect has effects the children's responses, however, does not evoke the same decisions about who to save or give up as it does with adults, which might be due to a difference in how children value life.