Mbali and Sarah are playing cards.Mbali has a great hand - four aces - while Sarah's hand is just average - a 2 of hearts, a 3 of spades, a 5 of spades, and a 7 of clubs.Even though the statistical probability of both hands is the same, many people (incorrectly) assume that Mbali's exact hand is rarer than Sarah's exact hand.This common misconception stems most directly from the ____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The representativeness heuristic is a cognitive shortcut where people tend to make judgments based on how closely something fits to the prototype or stereotype of a category. In this case, people may assume that Mbali's exact hand is rarer because it fits more closely to their mental prototype of a rare hand in poker (four aces). However, the statistical probability of both hands is actually the same.

Mbali and Sarah Are Playing Cards