Overcoming the Inevitable Anchoring Effect: Considering the Opposite Compensates for Selective Accessibility
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- 1 November 2000
- journal article
- research article
- Published by SAGE Publications in Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin
- Vol. 26 (9) , 1142-1150
- https://doi.org/10.1177/01461672002611010
Abstract
Anchoring effects—the assimilation of a numeric estimate to a previously considered standard—have proved to be remarkably robust. Results of two studies, however, demonstrate that anchoring can be reduced by applying a consider-the-opposite strategy. Based on the Selective Accessibility Model, which assumes that anchoring is mediated by the selectively increased accessibility of anchor-consistent knowledge, the authors hypothesized that increasing the accessibility of anchor-inconsistent knowledge mitigates the effect. Considering the opposite (i.e., generating reasons why an anchor is inappropriate) fulfills this objective and consequently proves to be a successful corrective strategy. In a real-world setting using experts as participants, Study 1 dem-onstrated that listing arguments that speak against a provided anchor value reduces the effect. Study 2 further revealed that the effects of anchoring and considering the opposite are additive.This publication has 33 references indexed in Scilit:
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