Mia has lived in New York City all her life. She has noticed that people from upper Manhattan walk really fast, but people from lower Manhattan tend to walk slowly. Mia's observations are likely influenced from a judgment error based on her using
A) the law of large numbers.
B) an atmosphere effect.
C) an illusory correlation.
D) the falsification principle.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mia's observations reflect an illusory correlation, which is a false perception of a relationship between two events or situations. In this case, Mia is observing a pattern of walking speeds that she associates with the location in Manhattan where people are from; however, there is likely no reliable correlation between location and walking speed. Therefore, Mia's observation is likely biased by her own preconceived ideas and expectations about different parts of the city.

Mia Has Lived in New York City All Her Life