The Influence of Irrelevant Anchors on the Judgments and Choices of Doctors and Patients

@article{Brewer2007TheIO,
  title={The Influence of Irrelevant Anchors on the Judgments and Choices of Doctors and Patients},
  author={Noel T. Brewer and Gretchen B. Chapman and Janet Schwartz and George R. Bergus},
  journal={Medical Decision Making},
  year={2007},
  volume={27},
  pages={203 - 211}
}
Background. Little research has examined how anchor numbers affect choice, despite several decades of research showing that judgments typically and robustly assimilate toward irrelevant anchors. Methods. In one experiment, HIV-positive patients (N = 99) judged the chances that sexual partners would become infected with HIV after sex using a defective condom and then indicated their choices of remedial action. In a second experiment, Iowa physicians (N =191) rated the chances that hypothetical… 
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