What do these clinical trial results mean? How product efficacy judgments are affected by data partitioning, framing, and quantification

Organizations often present data related to clinical trials, and other product efficacy information, in partitioned or aggregated formats, as successes or failures, and as frequencies or percentages. We examine how such different data presentation formats might interact to influence product efficacy judgments. The results of five experiments indicate that partitioned (vs. aggregated) frequency data affect judgments regarding perceived product efficacy and these effects are moderated by data frames (success vs. failure) and quantification (frequencies vs. percentages). Specifically, success-framed, partitioned, frequency data enhance product efficacy judgments and choice, while failure-framed, partitioned, frequency data have the opposite effects. However, these effects get attenuated when data are aggregated or presented as percentages.

► We examine interaction effects between data partitioning, framing, and quantification on product efficacy judgments. ► Success-framed (failure-framed), partitioned, frequency data enhance (reduce) product efficacy judgments. ► Percentage data, aggregated data, and high data variance attenuate these effects. ► Our findings have strong relevance for how clinical trial results and other product efficacy information are presented.