While in the big box store, you approach a man in a blue vest for help. It turns out that the man is a customer and not an employee. This error was made because of what type of mental shortcut

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The individual may have assumed the man in the blue vest was an employee because he fit the stereotype of what an employee in a big box store might look like (wearing a uniform or vest). This is an example of the representativeness heuristic, where people make judgments based on how well something or someone matches their preconception of a particular category or stereotype.

While in the Big Box Store, You Approach a Man