Insensitivity to the Value of Human Life: A Study of Psychophysical Numbing
Loading...
Date
1997
Authors
Fetherstonhaugh, David
Slovic, Paul
Johnson, Stephen
Friedrich, James
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
A fundamental principle of psychophysics is that people's ability to discriminate change in a physical stimulus diminishes as the magnitude of the stimulus increases. We find that people also exhibit diminished sensitivity in valuing lifesaving interventions against a background of increasing numbers of lives at risk. We call this "psychophysical numbing." Studies 1 and 2 found that an intervention saving a fixed number of lives was judged
significantly more beneficial when fewer lives were at risk overall. Study 3 found that respondents wanted the minimum number of lives a medical treatment would have to save to merit a fixed amount of funding to be much greater for a disease with a larger number of potential victims than for a disease with a smaller number. The need to better understand the dynamics of psychophysical numbing and to determine its effects on decision making is discussed.
Description
36 pages
Keywords
Genocide, Decision making, Life saving, Value of life, Benefit analysis, Psychophysical numbing
Citation
Fetherstonhaugh, D., Slovic, P., Johnson, S. M., & Friedrich, J. (1997). Insensitivity to the value of human life: A study of psychophysical numbing. Journal of Risk and Uncertainty, 14(3), 283-300.