Anchoring
Focalism · Focusing Effect
A cognitive bias that describes the tendency for an individual to rely too heavily on an initial piece of information offered (the "anchor") when making decisions.
EverydayConcepts.io
Origin
Psychologists Amos Tversky and Daniel Kahneman discovered anchoring bias in their 1974 paper "Judgment under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases." They demonstrated that random numbers influenced estimations: participants who saw a wheel of fortune land on 10 estimated 25% of African countries were in the UN, while those who saw 65 estimated 45%. In another classic experiment, groups estimated 8×7×6×5×4×3×2×1 versus 1×2×3×4×5×6×7×8, yielding median estimates of 2,250 versus 512—demonstrating how initial values anchor subsequent judgments.
Updated February 22, 2026