Would You Prefer a Treatment for a Serious Disease That

question 22

Multiple Choice

Would you prefer a treatment for a serious disease that is (a) 75% effective and would save 750 lives in 1000 people with the disease or (b) a treatment that would result in the deaths of 250 people out of 1000 with the disease who receive a treatment that is 75% effective in treating the disease? According to research, how do people typically respond to this question?

• A) Most people indicate that they prefer option (b) because fewer people would end up dying.
• B) People tend to prefer option (a) because they are attracted to risky options.
• C) People tend to prefer option (b) because they do not realize the probability is the same for both options and because of how the options are framed.
• D) People tend to prefer option (a) because they lack skill in estimating probabilities and they are influenced by how the options are framed.

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Definitions:

Subjective

Relating to personal perspectives, feelings, or opinions rather than external, objective facts.

I Data

Information that is introspectively accessible, referring to data about oneself that can include thoughts, feelings, and personal experiences.

Multiple Causes

The idea that events or phenomena often have several contributing factors rather than a single source.

B Data

Behavioral data in psychology, which consists of observations about an individual's behavior in natural or staged scenarios, often used for assessing personality.