Penny is a chronic cigarette smoker. Although she has heard of the research linking smoking to both lung cancer and emphysema she is not worried. Penny's belief that she will not fall ill due to smoking is an example of:
A) the availability heuristic.
B) the representativeness heuristic.
C) the overconfidence phenomenon.
D) hindsight bias.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Penny's belief that she will not fall ill due to smoking despite knowing the risks associated with it is an example of the overconfidence phenomenon. This is because she is overestimating her immunity or resistance to the diseases linked with smoking, showing an unwarranted confidence in her health outcomes despite evidence to the contrary.

Penny Is a Chronic Cigarette Smoker