Romantic relationship and study habit
The number 65 is displayed in front of you. Then you are asked a question: Is the percentage of African countries in the United Nations greater or less than 65? When Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman (1974) asked this question to their subjects, they found that the number shown before the question heavily influenced the answers. Those who were shown 65 gave a median estimate of 45 percent and those who were shown the 45 gave a median estimate of 25 percent. They defined this phenomenon as anchoring, “the insufficient adjustment up or down from an original starting value” (Tversky and Kahneman, 1974). Since then, this concept has contributed to an array of scientific fields and has become a critical piece to understanding decision making process. The purpose of the present experiment is to test whether anchoring and ordering has an effect on estimates. Here, the test asks the participants to estimate the number of deaths due to breast cancer and foodborne illnesses in the United States. Based on the previous studies, it was expected that the participants given the low number (anchor) should write lower estimates of the number of deaths for both causes than those given the high number (anchor). Assuming the common knowledge that foodborne illness deaths are lower than breast cancer deaths, it was also expected that the cause of death mentioned first would serve as an anchor for the estimates of the number of deaths for both causes. Therefore, if foodborne illnesses were listed first, then the participants would estimate both the number of deaths lower compared to when breast cancer was listed first.