3 Examples of The Anchoring Rule in Marketing. In 1974 cognitive psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky identified what is known as the âanchoring heuristic.â A heuristic is essentially a mental shortcut or rule of thumb the brain uses to simplify complex problems in order to make decisions (also known as a cognitive bias). The anchoring rule of thumb describes the common human tendency to rely too heavily on the first piece of information offered (the âanchorâ) when making decisions. Once the anchor is set, decisions are then made by adjusting around the initial anchor number, regardless of the legitimacy of the actual anchor number.