An Experimental Psychological Research on the Carryover Effect of Anchoring Stimuli: Relationship Between the Weight Distribution of the Weight and the Adaptation Level of Weight

Abstract

This study examined a carryover effect, in which a single anchoring stimulus was included in a particular stimulus series (block) and also affected a different stimulus series (block), on the anchoring effect in weight perception based on the adaptation level theory. The independent variables were two conditions in which anchoring stimuli of different weights were inserted into a stimulus series with a common distribution of weights. Furthermore, the adaptation level of the weight in each condition was measured as the dependent variable based on an ABA design. The results revealed that the adaptation levels from the first to the third block significantly differed from each other. This indicated that the anchoring stimulus presented in the second block had a carryover effect on the third block. These results suggest that the anchoring stimulus affects the specific stimulus series established to capture its effects and subsequent stimulus series.