Memory Reflected in Our Decisions: Working Memory and Risky Choice Framing

The current study looks at the role working memory plays in risky-choice framing. Eighty-six participants took the Automatic OSPAN, a measurement of working memory; this was followed by a risky-choice framing task. Results show that participants with high working memory capacities demonstrate well-pronounced framing effects, whereas those with low working memory capacities do not. This pattern suggests that, in a typical risky-choice decision task, individuals with high working memory capacity are especially likely to be influenced by contextual factors, such as the frame, and consequently demonstrate stronger framing effects.