n.1. in adaptation level theory, the assignment of set points (anchors) for judgment scales. According to this theory, all judgments are relative to an implicit scale of comparison; for example, poverty is evaluated differently when people are given specific examples of either extreme or moderate poverty. 2. the process in which one or more items in a list being learned serve as anchors with which the other items are associated. For instance, the first and last items in a list of words may serve as anchors, cuing the words in between.