Description
Calculate supplied response deviations from an anchor and a comparison reference.
Behavioral economic tasks use explicit payoff units, reference values, time periods and supplied utility or discount conventions. A decision weight need not be a probability, one branch term is not a full expectation, and a nominal cost difference does not establish perceived switching difficulty or an actual preference.
Calculate supplied response deviations from an anchor and a comparison reference.
When to use this tool
Use Anchoring Reference Deviation when you already have response, anchor, comparisonReference and need to calculate supplied response deviations from an anchor and a comparison reference.
How to use the tool and how it works
- Enter response, anchor, comparisonReference. Use the units and conventions below.
- Run the tool. Correct any format, range, or cross-field input error before interpreting the output.
- Read responseMinusAnchor, responseMinusReference. Use the output convention below.
Return response-anchor and response-comparisonReference with signs preserved.1
| Input field | Meaning and units | Accepted input |
|---|---|---|
| response | Response | Required. Finite number. |
| anchor | Anchor | Required. Finite number. |
| comparisonReference | Comparison Reference | Required. Finite number. |
| Output field | Interpretation | Returned shape |
|---|---|---|
| responseMinusAnchor | Response Minus Anchor | Required. Finite number. |
| responseMinusReference | Response Minus Reference | Required. Finite number. |
{
"input": {
"response": 70,
"anchor": 50,
"comparisonReference": 60
},
"output": {
"responseMinusAnchor": 20,
"responseMinusReference": 10
}
}Limitations and assumptions
- Scales must match. Two arithmetic deviations do not identify an anchoring effect, causal mechanism, unbiased response or appropriate reference.
- Inputs must satisfy both the field types and the cross-field conditions above. Invalid input causes an error; a successful false flag or documented placeholder is a different result.
- Numeric calculations use binary floating point unless exact decimal-integer arithmetic is explicitly stated. No hidden measurement tolerance or decimal rounding is added; nonfinite or out-of-contract results are rejected. Numeric signed-zero results are exported as zero.
Alternative or Complementary methods
Review the full task design, incentive and payoff definitions, participant records and statistical analysis. Estimate behavioral models from appropriate data when local supplied-value arithmetic cannot establish preferences or causal effects.
References
Similar or alternative tools
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- Framing Nominal Equivalence Residual
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