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Status-quo and omission biases

Journal of Risk and Uncertainty volume 5, pages 49–61 (1992)Cite this article

Abstract

Bias toward the status quo, found in choice and in emotional reactions to adverse outcomes, has been confounded with bias toward omission. We unconfounded these effects with scenarios in which change occurs unless action is taken. Subjects reacted more strongly to adverse outcomes caused by action, whether the status quo was maintained or not, and subjects preferred inaction over action even when inaction was associated with change. No status-quo bias was found in a matching task, which did not require action. The observed status-quo bias is at least partly caused by a bias toward omissions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Ben Gurion University, Peer Sheeva, Israel

    Ilana Ritov

  2. Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, 3815 Walnut St., 19104-6196, Philadelphia, PA

    Jonathan Baron

Authors
  1. Ilana Ritov
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  2. Jonathan Baron
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Additional information

This work was supported by a grant from the National Science Foundation (SES-8809299). We thank the reviewer for helpful comments.

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Ritov, I., Baron, J. Status-quo and omission biases. J Risk Uncertainty 5, 49–61 (1992). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00208786

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00208786

Key words

  • status quo
  • omission
  • decision making