Abstract Loss aversion is often assumed to be a basic and far-reaching psychological regularity in behavior. Yet empirical evidence is accumulating to challenge the assumption of widespread loss aversion in choice. We suggest that a key reason for the apparently elusive nature of loss aversion may be that its manifestation in choice is state-dependent and distinct from a more state-independent principle of heightened attention to losses relative to gains. Using data from process-tracing studies, we show that people invest more attentional resources when evaluating losses than when evaluating gains, even when their choices do not reflect loss aversion. Our evidence converges with previous findings on how losses influence exploratory search as well as physiological, hormonal, and neural responses. Increased attention to losses relative to gains seems to be a necessary but not a sufficient condition for loss aversion in choice.

中文翻译：

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注意力-厌恶差距：注意力分配与损失厌恶之间的关系

摘要 损失厌恶通常被认为是一种基本而深远的行为心理规律。然而，越来越多的经验证据正在挑战选择中普遍存在损失厌恶的假设。我们认为，损失厌恶的明显难以捉摸的本质的一个关键原因可能是它在选择中的表现是依赖于状态的，并且有别于更加独立于状态的原则，即对损失相对于收益的高度关注。使用过程追踪研究的数据，我们表明人们在评估损失时比在评估收益时投入更多的注意力资源，即使他们的选择没有反映损失厌恶。我们的证据与之前关于损失如何影响探索性搜索以及生理、荷尔蒙和神经反应的发现相一致。