This is called https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring_effect More specifically, sequential anchoring: >Consid

This is called https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring_effect https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anchoring_effect More specifically, sequential anchoring: >Consider the following scenario: A reviewer evaluates many unqualified applicants for a university program successively, and the next applicant to be reviewed is an average (borderline admit-reject) applicant. Because the evaluator is influenced, or anchored, by recently made decisions, this borderline applicant might be admitted to the program. On the other hand, when an evaluator is anchored by having reviewed many qualified applicants, the same or a similarly borderline applicant might be rejected (Figure 1). In this scenario, individual fairness, stating that individuals with similar characteristics should be treated similarly [8], is impaired, and wrong or inconsistent decisions can have a consequential impact. Source: https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3491102.3517443 https://dl.acm.org/doi/fullHtml/10.1145/3491102.3517443