Cognitive Approach

Anchoring bias

Section A Model Answer

Question

Explain the Anchoring Bias with reference to one example of human behavior. [4]

Model Answer

Anchoring bias is a cognitive heuristic where an individual relies too heavily on the first piece of information offered (the "anchor") when making decisions. The mechanism involves an insufficient adjustment from that starting point. Once an anchor is set, it behaviorally restricts the range of judgment, even if the anchor is clearly arbitrary or irrelevant to the actual decision. This was investigated by Tversky and Kahneman using a wheel of fortune experiment where participants saw a wheel land on either 10 or 65. Those who saw 10 gave much lower estimates for the percentage of African countries in the UN than those who saw 65, despite the number being random. This demonstrates how anchoring bias causes judgment errors, showing that human cognition is susceptible to being biased by irrelevant initial information.

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Section B Model Answer

Scenario

The Master Scenario: "The Workspace Study" A university department designs a new "collaborative innovation hub" to improve student performance. The room features open seating, bright lighting, and digital whiteboards. Researchers observe that when students work in this specific environment, their problem-solving speed increases by 20%. However, they also notice that students from different cultural backgrounds use the space differently, and those who feel "out of place" in the high-tech setting often perform worse than they did in traditional libraries.

Question

Explain how anchoring bias could affect a student's evaluation of their performance in the hub. [6]

Model Answer

Anchoring bias is a cognitive bias where individuals rely too heavily on the "anchor" (the first piece of information). This occurs because the anchor primes associated information in memory, causing selective accessibility where anchor-consistent evidence is more available. If a student is told the hub increases speed by "50%," that becomes the anchor. Even with a 20% improvement, they may perceive failure. This demonstrates anchoring bias because the student's subjective appraisal of their performance is distorted by the initial anchor, which primes them to seek information consistent with a 50% gain.

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Section A

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