Joanne will not go out at night because she hears from her local news station about the large number of muggings and robberies that occur in her city. However, crime in Joanne's city has actually gone down in the past few years. What error in reasoning is Joanne falling victim to?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Joanne is relying on the availability heuristic, which is a mental shortcut where we base our judgments on the ease with which we can recall specific examples or events. In this case, she is easily recalling news stories of muggings and robberies, which might be in the minority compared to the overall decrease in crime.

Joanne Will Not Go Out at Night Because She Hears