Following the September 11,2001,Twin Towers attacks,many Americans opted to drive rather than fly.The media coverage of the hijackings caused Americans to overestimate the danger of flying.As it was an event they remember easily,they assumed it could occur frequently.This example illustrates:
A)the availability heuristic.
B)the representativeness heuristic.
C)confirmation bias.
D)stereotypic bias.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The example demonstrates the availability heuristic, which is the tendency to rely on easily available information to make decisions or judgments. In this case, the vivid and extensive media coverage of the Twin Towers attacks made the memory of the event easily available in people's minds, which led them to overestimate the likelihood of such events happening again.

Following the September 11,2001,Twin Towers Attacks,many Americans Opted to Drive