Anchoring and Adjustment Heuristic in Language Use
People anchor on their own perspective when communicating and insufficiently adjust to the listener's perspective, leading to systematic miscommunication.
THE IDEA
Anchoring and Adjustment in Language Use
Boaz Keysar and Dale J. Barr use an old story about J. Edgar Hoover to illustrate miscommunication. After a memo’s text ran into the margins, Hoover wrote "Watch the borders." In the story, agents interpreted this as an instruction about the border with Mexico.
"Borders" has more than one meaning, but the authors’ point extends beyond ambiguous words. Listeners must infer a speaker’s intention from an utterance, and the context available to each person may differ.
The authors propose that speakers, listeners, and overhearers begin from their own perspective and adjust toward another person’s. If that adjustment is insufficient, they may overlook how someone with different information could interpret the same words.
When to use it
When giving directions to someone unfamiliar with an area, avoid anchoring on your own knowledge and adjust to their level of familiarity.
In team meetings, ensure that jargon or acronyms are defined to prevent miscommunication rooted in assumed shared understanding.
When providing feedback, consider the recipient's emotional state and adjust your language accordingly to avoid unintended offense.
FROM THEORY TO EVERYDAY LIFE
In practice
J. Edgar Hoover's Memo
In the story used by Keysar and Barr, Hoover intends a note about page margins to correct a memo. Others take it as an instruction about the national border. The anecdote illustrates a gap between intended meaning and the context used to interpret it.
A MOMENT TO REFLECT
Put it to work.
Think of a recent conversation where you assumed the other person shared your understanding of a term. Did that lead to confusion?
How might the anchoring and adjustment heuristic affect written communication like emails or text messages?
Can you recall a situation where you insufficiently adjusted to someone else's perspective, causing a misunderstanding?
Often confused with
CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION
Source texts
- Heuristics and Biases The Psychology of Intuitive Judgment (Thomas Gilovich, Dale Griffin, Daniel Kahneman)