State lottery officials send residents a facsimile of a contest-winning check for over $5 million to encourage them to imagine themselves as possible winners.The lottery promoters are most clearly exploiting the influence of
A) confirmation bias.
B) belief perseverance.
C) an algorithm.
D) the availability heuristic.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The lottery officials are using the availability heuristic, which is a mental shortcut where people rely on immediate examples that come to mind when making decisions or judgments. By sending residents a facsimile of a contest-winning check for over $5 million, the officials are making the idea of winning the lottery more salient and easily accessible to residents, increasing the likelihood that they will play the lottery.

State Lottery Officials Send Residents a Facsimile of a Contest-Winning