Anchoring Bias

The first piece of information we receive on any topic becomes a cognitive anchor that disproportionately influences all subsequent judgements, even when the anchor is arbitrary or irrelevant. Research on salary negotiations consistently shows that the first number on the table determines the final outcome in roughly 70% of cases. Retailers use this deliberately: a product marked down from $200 to $99 feels like a bargain, even if the $200 price was invented. Doctors who are told a patient's age before reviewing symptoms anchor their diagnosis differently than those who review the chart cold. The anchor primes the brain's reference point before any reasoning begins.