The Role Of Self-esteem And Self-framing In Risky Choice

Framing effect refers to, when in a different expression of the same information, the Phenomenon of systematical influence on decision makers behavior. Kahneman thinks that man makes decision by the frame provided by deeision-making tasks, also edits decision information according to their own subjective reference Points, and forms internal frame, named self-framing. And framing effect will be the same whether the frame is provided by external tasks or internal reference Points.Self-esteem(SE) is a very important Personality variable in risk decision. Previous studying in SE's influence on risky choice does not draw the same conclusion, and few studies focus on the influence of SE, combined by explicit and implicit level, on risk decision. Therefore, the study tests both explicit and implicit SE, and classifies four types of SE based on explicit and implicit SE measurement, further discussing the influence of SE and self-framing on risky choice.Experiment 1 discussed the relationship between explicit and implicit SE according to SES and IAT test. The results show that there is no significant relationship between them. It shows that the two are independent of each other in the structure. And then four types of self-esteem are classified:high explicit high implicit SE, low explicit low implicit SE, high explicit low implicit SE and low explicit high implicit SE.Experiment 2 examined how SE and self-framing influent participants'decision in two decision-tasks (loss situation and benefit situation). The results show that:(1) Self-framing effect is generally significant, which is basically the same with external framing effect in different situation. (2) SE influents self-framing, and this effect mainly reflects in loss situation. Specifically, the individuals of high explicit high implicit SE tend to form a Positive self-framing, more positive than the individuals of high explicit low implicit SE. The individuals of low explicit low implicit SE tend to form a negative self-framing, more negative than the individuals of low explicit high implicit SE. (3) SE type has a certain degree of influence on risky choice, and has certain consistency across the situation. Specifically, the individuals of low explicit low implicit SE tend to avoid risk. Low explicit high implicit SE, high explicit low implicit SE and high explicit high implicit SE individuals tend to be risky. (4) SE type also impacts on self-framing effect and its direction. Self-framing effect brought by the low explicit low implicit SE is opposite to external framing effect in loss situation, and the same in benefit situation. high explicit high implicit SE maybe be the same with the low explicit low implicit SE. Self-framing effect brought by low explicit high implicit SE is unapparent in loss situation, the same with external framing effect in benefit situation. Self-framing effect brought by high explicit low implicit SE is unapparent in benefit situation, and the same with external framing effect in loss situation.