其他摘要 | Time and space are inseparably linked in p场sics, and their relationship is usually connected by "velocity", where spatial distance equals the product of velocity and time. For the "travel distance of the same journey", we can describe it using either a spatial frame "it takes XX kilometers to travel from a to b", or an intertemporal frame "it takes XX minutes to travel from a to b". By using the conversion relationship between intertemporal and spatial distance, spatial choice can be equivalently transformed into intertemporal choice. According to the principle of invariance, the two completely equivalent decision problems formed through the mediation of "velocity" should not lead to different choice preferences. However, recent research has shown that when using two different frames of time/space to describe the choice between binary journeys, most people's choice preferences will change, which is known as the”A framing effect of intertemporal and spatial choice".
However, in real-life situations, we are often faced with scenarios where we need to evaluate singular option (i.e., only one journey) rather than choosing between binary or multiple options. The existing results and theoretical explanatory mechanisms obtained from the binary choice context cannot directly help us answer questions "Will there be a framing effect of intertemporal and spatial choice for one option when facing either an intertemporal or a spatial frame? And if such an effect exists, what is its psychological mechanism? Are there any boundary conditions?"
To answer the above questions, we conducted three studies (six experiments in total). Study 1 mainly investigated whether the framing effect exists when evaluating singular option. Study 2 aimed to explore the psychological mechanism underlying this effect. Study 3 further verified the robustness of the framing effect of intertemporal and spatial choice for one option and explored its boundary conditions under a wider range of parameters.
In Study 1,we examined the existence of the framing effect of intertemporal and spatial choice for one option in evaluating singular option through both laboratory experiments (la) and field quasi-experiments (1b). In Experiment la, participants were randomly assigned to two different conditions (intertemporal frame vs. spatial frame) and completed a willingness-to-travel task in two travel scenarios. The results showed that compared to a "40min walking distance," people were more willing to travel when described as a "3km walking distance," and compared to a”15km subway ride," people were more willing to travel when described as a "25min subway ride." In Experiment 1b, we used a field quasi-experiment during the "Autumn Walking Campaign" to examine the framing effect in a real-life situation. The results showed that the framing significantly influenced people's willingness to travel among those who self-reported a lover of sports. Compared to a "40min walking distance", people had a higher willingness to travel when described as a "3km walking distance" in the spatial frame. The results detected in "real travel behavior" were consistent with theexpected direction but did not reach statistical significance.
Study 2 is divided into two parts, Experiment 2a and Experiment 2b. Experiment 2a used the same scenario and parameters as Experiment la, but added the measurement of psychological distance, and employed a within-subject design and the same testing process as in la. Experiment 2b only exchanged the "multiple/single" attribute of travel purpose based on Experiment 2a. The results of Experiment 2a showed that psychological distance played a mediating role in the process of the framing effect of intertemporal and spatial choice for one option on travel willingness. We found that changes in the frame affected participants' perception of psychological distance, which further affected their willingness to travel. Specifically, the longer the psychological distance, the lower the willingness to travel, and conversely, the shorter the psychological distance, the higher the willingness to travel. The results of Experiment 2b showed that the direction of the framing effect of intertemporal and spatial choice for one option mainly depended on the parameter setting of the scenario, and once again supported the evidence that psychological distance played a mediating role in the process of the framing effect of intertemporal and spatial choice for one option on travel willingness.
In study 3 .Experiment 3a found that the framing effect of intertemporal and spatial choice for one option still existed robustly over a wider range of parameter settings, and that the direction of it was moderated by the perceived physical effort when manipulating transportation modes. When the perceived physical effort was higher, participants had shorter psychological distance under the spatial frame, and higher willingness to travel; when the perceived physical effort was lower, participants had shorter psychological distance under the intertemporal frame, and higher willingness to travel. Experiment 3b used jspsych to simulate a starry sky shuttle experiment to explore the effect of the sensation of moving on the framing effect of intertemporal and spatial choice for one option. The results showed that the arousal of the sensation of moving would make people prefer options expressed in space (i.e., shorter psychological distance under the spatial frame and higher willingness to travel), and faster movement would amplify this trend.
In summary, this study indicates that the framing effect of intertemporal and spatial choice for one option that violates the principle of invariance can still be detected in the evaluation scenario of singular option (i.e., only one journey). The possible psychological mechanism is that psychological distance mediates the relationship between the frame and travel willingness. In addition, the perceived physical effort and the sensation of moving modulate the frame effect. This study found that by simply manipulating the intertemporal or spatial frame, people's willingness to travel can be increased or decreased, which provides scientific evidence. |
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