Which bias involves making judgments based on initial information encountered?

• A. Availability Bias
• B. Confirmation Bias
• C. Anchoring Bias
• D. Representativeness Error

Answer: (C)

Anchoring bias happens when the first information you encounter sets a reference point that heavily shapes all subsequent judgments. If you latch onto that initial piece of data, you tend to adjust your thinking only minimally as new information comes in, so your final assessment stays tied to that starting point. In practice this means early impressions—like the initial symptom description, an initial triage note, or the first price quoted—can disproportionately influence expectations, diagnoses, or treatment decisions, even when later data suggests a different conclusion. For example, if a patient is initially described as having a severe knee injury, you might overweight this initial impression and underappreciate later findings that point to a less serious issue. This contrasts with other biases: availability bias relies on what’s most memorable, confirmation bias seeks information that supports preconceptions, and representativeness error judges based on similarity to a prototype. Anchoring is the one that centers on the impact of the first piece of information encountered.