Jon is a pharmaceutical representative on his first day on the job. He is looking for a Dr. Smith, who he has been told is taking a lunch break in a room down the hall. He enters the room and finds it filled with four people. Using the representativeness heuristic, which of the following people would Jon be most likely to think is the doctor?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The representativeness heuristic leads people to judge the likelihood of an event by comparing it to an existing prototype in their minds. In this case, Jon is likely to associate a doctor with a white lab coat, making him most likely to think the man wearing a white lab coat is Dr. Smith.

Jon Is a Pharmaceutical Representative on His First Day on the Job