Attention and the establishment of a scale of judgment

In a preshift task, 100 undergraduates were presented slides containing dots which varied in brightness and numerousness within small squares which varied in size. 2 groups judged dot numerousness; for 1 group, ND-0, there was no correlation between dot numerousness and square size; for another, ND-1, there was a +1 correlation. A 3rd group, SS-0, judged square size, and a 4th BD-0, judged the brightness of the dots. In a postshift task, all experimental groups and a control group judged the size of 5 large empty squares. The anchoring effects of the preshift series, measured by postshift judgments of a square that appeared in both series, were as follows (in ascending order): BD-0, ND-1, SS-0, ND-0. These effects were interpreted as dependent on the amount of attention the small squares received in the preshift task. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).