Concept · Time & Prioritization
Decoy Effect
Origin: Joel Huber (1982)
The Biological Bridge
This business construct is human-invented, but the outcome it's trying to achieve has deep biological roots.
Surface Construct
Adding an inferior third option makes one of two original options more attractive
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Underlying Outcome
Manipulate relative comparisons to steer choice
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Biological Mechanism
Sensory exploitation / supernormal stimuli. Tungara frogs add low-frequency 'chuck' calls that exploit pre-existing female auditory bias - the chuck triggers neural responses tuned to different frequencies, making the caller seem more attractive. The 'decoy' changes the perceptual landscape without changing the underlying reality.
Key Insight: Both exploit comparative evaluation systems that evolved for different contexts. Choices are never absolute - they're always relative to available alternatives.
The Full Picture
Male ruffs (shorebirds) use three mating strategies: aggressive territorial males, satellite males who resemble females, and a third 'decoy' morph. The decoy's presence shifts female choice between the other two by changing relative attractiveness. This isn't manipulation—it's contextual evaluation. Animal perception is inherently comparative, not absolute. The decoy effect exploits this: introducing an inferior option makes the target choice look superior by shifting the reference frame.