What Does lure Mean
The first meanings of the term lure mentioned in the dictionary of the Royal Spanish Academy ( RAE ) are linked to birds and falconry . A decoy can be a figure that seeks to attract a hawk that has taken flight or, directly, a bird that is used to attract more birds.
In the context of falconry (the discipline that consists of hunting using birds of prey), the lure is a piece used for the training of animals . Figures are also used as fishing lures and hunting lures .
Suppose a person wants to hunt a moose . The hunter can build a lure that mimics the animal's appearance and makes noise to attract the attention of the moose and attract them to the scene.
In the field of fishing, the use of lures is very common. So much so that there are a large number of varieties and types to meet the needs of each fisherman and to catch some prey or another. However, as a general rule, lures are usually classified into two large groups: natural and artificial.
By extension to these meanings, a decoy is called anything that is used to induce something or attract someone through a lie or deception . Decoys are often used by the Police to catch criminals.
In order to capture a pedophile who is looking for his victims on the Internet , for example, the Police can make an agent pose as a child on social networks. In this way, the policeman acts as a decoy and manages to arrange an appointment with the offender. When the pedophile comes to the meeting thinking that he was going to meet with a minor, he is caught.
Law enforcement agencies can also use decoys in order to capture a drug dealer or serial killer who respects certain standards when choosing their victims.
Within the field of aviation, the use of decoys is also used. Specifically, this term is used to refer to a type of flare that is responsible for the missiles guided by infrared sensors to follow it and not the aircraft they are trying to destroy. This is what is technically called an infrared countermeasure.
On the other hand, in the marketing sector we have to highlight the existence of what is known as the decoy effect. What is it? Basically, a phenomenon consisting in that consumers proceed to make a change to the preference between two options when a third alternative appears on the scene that is classified as "asymmetrically dominant". This third proposal has lower benefits than the alternative for which users want to choose and higher than the second option that was originally there.
In this way, what is achieved is that the consumer has no doubt in opting for the first option, the one they wanted to be their favorite.