Im Zweifel die Mitte

When making difficult decisions, we tend to follow limited rational rules of thumb, so-called heuristics. For example, when we have to make estimates on topics that are unknown to us, we are guided by environmental information, even if it is incoherent.
Dorian Schmelz examines the effects of this anchor effect on the litigants of civil proceedings by confronting the participants of an empirical study, including over 60 Austrian professional judges, with a fictitious case for which an amicable solution is to be found. But are judges really less susceptible to influence due to their professional qualifications and professional neutrality?