A lawyer represents a client who is accused of robbery. The client has been found guilty of assault in three previous crimes. What is the lawyer's judgment most likely to be affected by if he were asked to estimate the man's chances of acquittal for this fourth crime?
A) inductive reasoning
B) the availability heuristic
C) irrationality
D) deductive reasoning

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The lawyer's judgment is most likely to be affected by the availability heuristic, which is a mental shortcut where people rely on easily available and recent examples or information to make judgments or decisions. In this case, the fact that the client has been found guilty of assault in three previous crimes may be more salient and memorable to the lawyer than other relevant factors that could affect the client's chances of acquittal for this fourth crime. Therefore, the lawyer may overestimate the likelihood of the client being found guilty again.

A Lawyer Represents a Client Who Is Accused of Robbery