The Effects of Loss Aversion Framing on High School Test Performance: A Pilot Study
Maya Alexandra Clark
21/07/2026
This pilot study examined whether loss aversion, a core principle in behavioral economics, affected academic performance when applied to everyday classroom assessments. Across three AP Macroeconomics class periods (N = 36), students had been randomly assigned to take identical quizzes that differed only in scoring format. One version framed performance as points lost, beginning at 100 points with deductions for incorrect answers. The other framed performance as points earned, beginning at zero and adding points for correct answers. Students in the loss-framed condition scored significantly higher (M = 12.6 out of 15) than those in the gain-framed condition (M = 11.4 out of 15). An independent sample t-test indicated statistical significance (p = 0.045), and Cohen’s d = 0.63 indicated a medium-to-large effect size. Survey responses suggested that most students believed the framing did not influence them. Given institutional constraints preventing baseline balance verification and immediate replication, the findings should be interpreted as preliminary pilot evidence consistent with a framing effect rather than definitive causal proof.