Emerging adults tend to overestimate the prevalence of drug use among peers due to _____.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Base rate neglect is the tendency to ignore the overall frequency of an event (in this case, drug use among peers) and instead focus on specific, salient examples. This can lead to an overestimation of prevalence among peers, as individuals may only be aware of certain instances of drug use and assume it is more common than it actually is. Hypothetical thinking and concrete operational thinking are not related to this phenomenon, and the sunk cost fallacy refers to a different cognitive bias altogether.

Emerging Adults Tend to Overestimate the Prevalence of Drug Use