Amanda asks a group of research participants to estimate the number of deaths each year due to homicide and diabetes. She finds that higher numbers report homicide, because they are more vivid examples, though over twice as many die from complications related to diabetes. This is one example of the dangers of the ________ in our judgements and decision making.
A)availability heuristic
B)confirmation bias
C)hindsight bias
D)representativeness heuristic

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic is the tendency to estimate the likelihood of an event based on how easily examples of that event come to mind. In this case, the more vivid and memorable examples of homicides make them more readily available in people's minds, leading to an overestimation of their frequency relative to less salient but more common causes of death like diabetes.

Amanda Asks a Group of Research Participants to Estimate the Number