The folding problem in which you are asked to estimate the thickness of a 0.1 millimeter sheet of paper folded in on itself 100 times illustrates how the _____ can lead to dramatic underestimates of the correct answer to an estimation problem.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The anchoring and adjustment heuristic is when people rely too heavily on the first piece of information they are given (the anchor) and adjust insufficiently from that starting point. In this problem, people may anchor on their knowledge of the thickness of a single sheet of paper (0.1 millimeter) and fail to adjust adequately for the compounding effect of folding it 100 times, leading to a dramatic underestimation of the correct answer. The other heuristics listed do not apply as directly to this specific problem.

The Folding Problem in Which You Are Asked to Estimate