Estimation of factorial expressions and its improvement through calibration: A replication and extension of Tversky and Kahneman (1973).

Fifty years ago, Tversky and Kahneman (Cognitive Psychology, 5[2], 207–232, 1973) reported that people's speeded estimations of 8 × 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 were notably higher than their estimations for the equivalent expression in the opposite order, 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × 5 × 6 × 7 × 8 (Median = 2,250...

Descripción completa

Detalles Bibliográficos
Publicado en:Memory & Cognition Vol. 53; no. 5; pp. 1449 - 1466
Autores principales: Bye, Jeffrey Kramer, Marupudi, Vijay, Koenen, Reba, Park, Jimin, Varma, Sashank
Formato: Artículo
Publicado: Springer Nature Jul2025
Materias:
Acceso en línea:Ver este registro en EBSCOhost
fields @attributes:
  recordID: 1
pdfLink:
plink: https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ssf&AN=186988124&site=ehost-live
header:
  @attributes:
    shortDbName: ssf
    uiTerm: 186988124
    longDbName: Social Sciences Full Text (H.W. Wilson)
    uiTag: AN
  controlInfo:
    bkinfo:
    jinfo:
      jid:
        0090502X
        MEG
      jtl: Memory & Cognition
      issn: 0090502X
      maglogo: N
    pubinfo:
      dt: Jul2025
      vid: 53
      iid: 5
      pid: 237
      pub: Springer Nature
    artinfo:
      ui:
        186988124
        10.3758/s13421-024-01662-0
      ppf: 1449
      ppct: 17
      formats:
        fmt:
          – @attributes:
              type: T
          – @attributes:
              type: P
              size: 1.1MB
      tig:
        atl: Estimation of factorial expressions and its improvement through calibration: A replication and extension of Tversky and Kahneman (1973).
      aug:
        au:
          Bye, Jeffrey Kramer
          Marupudi, Vijay
          Koenen, Reba
          Park, Jimin
          Varma, Sashank
        affil:
          https://ror.org/04pyvbw03 Department of Psychology, California State University, Dominguez Hills, 90747, Carson, CA, USA
          https://ror.org/01zkghx44 School of Interactive Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
          https://ror.org/01zkghx44 School of Psychology, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA
          https://ror.org/017zqws13 Department of Educational Psychology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA
      su:
        Intellect
        Sensory perception
        Decision making
        Judgment (Psychology)
        Cognition
        Mathematics
        Research funding
        Replication (Experimental design)
        Descriptive statistics
        Calibration
        Data analysis software
        Sensitivity & specificity (Statistics)
      sug:
        subj:
          Intellect
          Sensory perception
          Decision making
          Judgment (Psychology)
          Cognition
          Mathematics
          Research funding
          Replication (Experimental design)
          Descriptive statistics
          Calibration
          Data analysis software
          Sensitivity & specificity (Statistics)
      keyword:
        Anchoring heuristic
        Estimation
        Judgment and decision-making
        Mathematical cognition
        Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Psychology
        Replication
        Anchoring heuristic
        Estimation
        Judgment and decision-making
        Mathematical cognition
        Psychology and Cognitive Sciences Psychology
        Replication
      ab: Fifty years ago, Tversky and Kahneman (Cognitive Psychology, 5[2], 207–232, 1973) reported that people's speeded estimations of 8 × 7 × 6 × 5 × 4 × 3 × 2 × 1 were notably higher than their estimations for the equivalent expression in the opposite order, 1 × 2 × 3 × 4 × 5 × 6 × 7 × 8 (Median = 2,250 vs. 512, respectively). On top of this order effect, both groups grossly underestimated the correct value (40,320). The differential effect of the two orders on estimation has become famous as an early demonstration of the anchoring effect, where people's judgments under uncertainty are unduly influenced by an initial reference point (or "anchor"). Despite this fame, to the best of our knowledge, this effect has never been replicated. In a sample of 253 U.S. adults, the current study provides the first replication of this foundational example of anchoring. It extends this effect for the first time to a within-participants design, revealing its relative robustness even among participants who see the descending order first. Drawing on procedures from the mathematical cognition literature, it shows how the anchoring effect can be mitigated: calibrating to the correct value of 6! reduces this effect, and calibrating to 10! eliminates it altogether. An individual differences analysis measures the arithmetic fluency of participants and their accuracy on a new estimation assessment, and finds that higher estimation ability may be a "protective factor" against some anchoring effects. These findings affirm the anchoring effect of Tversky and Kahneman (1973, Study 6) while suggesting that calibration may be an effective strategy for helping to improve people's estimation of superlinear functions that are important in real-life contexts.
      pubtype: Academic Journal
      doctype: Article
      src: R
    language: English
    refInfo:
    copyright:
      @attributes:
        flag: N
    holdings:
      @attributes:
        islocal: N