Framing effects as a semantic puzzle: Putting the alignment-assumption account to a test

Abstract

Framing effects are effects of linguistic variation (e.g. stating the amount of lives saved vs. lives lost) on judgments and decisions. This paper deals with a semantic-pragmatic account of framing effects as offered by Geurts’ (2013) alignment-assumption account. The account radically differs from extant accounts by explaining framing effects in terms of counterfactual alternatives and alignment of scales. I report two experiments that tested predictions derived from the alignment-assumption account and that related to the effect of upward- vs. downward entailing comparative quantifiers. The results provide preliminary experimental support for the alignment-assumption account and pose challenges for other accounts of framing effects.