Abstract
Attempts to reconstruct the magnitude of recently encountered physical stimuli were influenced by the provision of physical anchors. Whether estimating length, weight, or loudness, those increasing the magnitude of a relatively small (short, light, or quiet) physical anchor produced estimates that were reliably lower than did those decreasing the magnitude of a relatively large (long, heavy, or loud) anchor. Estimates produced without an anchor were also low, suggesting that when people physically adjust upwards from a self-selected starting point, "no anchor" may, in fact, act as a very low anchor. Physical anchors appear to influence estimates of recently encountered physical stimuli, much as numerical anchors influence estimates of more abstract numerical quantities. Implications for processes underlying anchoring, adjustment, and related tasks are discussed.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 393-406 |
Number of pages | 14 |
Journal | Journal of Behavioral Decision Making |
Volume | 19 |
Issue number | 4 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 2006 |
All Science Journal Classification (ASJC) codes
- General Decision Sciences
- Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
- Applied Psychology
- Sociology and Political Science
- Strategy and Management
Keywords
- Adjustment
- Anchoring
- Judgment and decision making
- Magnitude estimation
- Psychophysics