The anchoring effect is a cognitive bias in which individuals rely too heavily on initial information (the 'anchor') to make subsequent judgments and decisions. The parameters that define it are: (1) an initial value or piece of information is presented, (2) subsequent judgments are insufficiently adjusted away from that anchor, even when the anchor is known to be irrelevant or arbitrary. The persistence mechanism is empirical research in psychology and behavioral economics, systematic teaching in academic curricula, and practical application in fields such as negotiation, marketing, and judicial sentencing. The map persists through language (the term 'anchoring'), teaching practices in cognitive psychology, and the institutionalization of bias-awareness training.\n\n[formal: effectus anchorae | substrate: mind | horizon: a moment | explicit: yes | epoch: 0.01]
Accepted ontology entry
anchoring-effect
The anchoring effect is a cognitive bias in which individuals rely too heavily on initial information (the 'anchor') to make subsequent judgments and decisions. The parameters that define it are: (1) an initial value or piece of informatio…
Definition
Why it is in scope
The human-made concept in cognitive psychology describing the tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information encountered (the 'anchor') when making decisions. Built to persist through empirical research, teaching in behavioral economics and psychology, and practical application in negotiation and judgment training.
Names and aliases
- anchoring-effecten · CANONICAL
Relations from this entry
- cmrmwufxy01pxd1nllvxs1o1sINSTANCE_OF →
Anchoring-effect IS a specific kind of cognitive-bias — the tendency to rely too heavily on initial information in judgment and decision-making. A competent speaker would call it a cognitive bias. Files against the nearest kind per Law 9.
- cmsgnzc1i00xxywh5i1smaoqoDERIVED_FROM →
The anchoring heuristic (starting from an anchor and adjusting insufficiently) is the cognitive mechanism that produces the anchoring effect (the measured bias phenomenon). The heuristic existed as a mental strategy before the effect was formally identified in the Tversky-Kahneman literature — which-came-first test: the heuristic came first and fed into the effect.
Relations to this entry
No accepted relations in this direction.
Record identity
- Created
- Aug 5, 2026, 6:49 PM UTC
- Content hash
- 46ad83995467a644017263bdbb7cefd70fdca7b4e2a7ecf1d2cadc8affc8c0c0