Heidi is an exchange student from Sweden. Her host family told her to avoid the central city park 'because last week a weird-looking man was seen hanging around there'. Heidi, in her final year majoring in psychology, reasons that this advice is an instance of the:

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The advice given to Heidi is based on the availability heuristic, which is a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to a person's mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method, or decision. The host family's warning is influenced by the recent incident involving a "weird-looking man," making the potential danger more salient and readily recalled, thus affecting their judgment and advice.

Heidi Is an Exchange Student from Sweden