Imagine you see a person who is extraverted, personable, skilled at leading groups, excellent at public speaking, and good at raising money. You quickly judge this person to be a politician. Which of the following processes are you most likely to be using as a basis for your judgment?
A) Availability heuristic
B) Base rate estimates
C) Representativeness heuristic
D) Simulation heuristic

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The representativeness heuristic is a mental shortcut where people make judgments based on how closely something resembles a stereotypical example of a particular category. In this case, the person's characteristics resemble that of a stereotypical politician, leading to the judgment that they are a politician. The availability heuristic is based on how easily an example comes to mind, base rate estimates involve considering statistical probabilities, and the simulation heuristic involves imagining the outcome of different scenarios. None of these processes are as likely to be used in this case as the representativeness heuristic.

Imagine You See a Person Who Is Extraverted, Personable, Skilled