Tim is running for student president of his high school.Although last year,Tim was unsuccessful in convincing his high school principal to renovate the gymnasium,he did succeed in convincing the manager of food services to offer healthier alternatives in the cafeteria.This year,as he runs for president,Tim's campaign posters have big pictures of carrots and tofu,and his classmates are evaluating him overall on his prior success even though the gymnasium remains old and run-down.This shows the influence of ______.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The classmates' evaluation of Tim based on his prior success with the cafeteria shows the availability heuristic at play. This is a cognitive bias in which people rely on readily available information (in this case, the success with the cafeteria) to make judgments about a person or situation. The fact that the gymnasium remains unchanged does not seem to be as accessible in their minds as the success with the cafeteria.

Tim Is Running for Student President of His High School