Jonathan is untidy, outgoing, and a chain smoker. He frequently stays up late and has a very flexible work schedule. Given this description, most people would guess that Jonathan is a bartender (which he is not) rather than a tax accountant (which he is). This example illustrates the influence of:
A) the availability heuristic.
B) functional fixedness.
C) the representativeness heuristic.
D) linguistic relativity.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The scenario described exemplifies the representativeness heuristic, where people tend to judge the likelihood of an event or person based on how well it matches their existing mental prototype or stereotype. In this case, Jonathan fits the stereotype of a bartender more than the stereotype of a tax accountant. The availability heuristic (A) involves basing judgments on the ease with which examples come to mind, functional fixedness (B) pertains to the tendency to perceive objects or problems in terms of typical uses or functions, and linguistic relativity (D) suggests that language influences our perceptions and/or thought processes. None of these concepts apply as well to the scenario as the representativeness heuristic.

Jonathan Is Untidy, Outgoing, and a Chain Smoker