Seventy percent of the students in a classroom are women and 30 percent are men. One student is described as ambitious, athletic, and assertive. Why are most people likely to think this description refers to a male student?
A) They are using the availability bias.
B) They are using the representativeness bias.
C) People seek only confirming information.
D) People tend to make relative comparisons.
E) People base their assumptions on what the media tells us is common.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The most likely reason for people to think that the student described as ambitious, athletic, and assertive is male is because they are using the representativeness bias. This bias causes people to make judgments based on stereotypes and prototypes, and the stereotype of an ambitious, athletic, and assertive person is often associated with males.

Seventy Percent of the Students in a Classroom Are Women