Because you can easily think of examples when someone got injured at school, you conclude that schools are dangerous places. That reasoning is an example of what? a. Categorization by prototypes b. The availability heuristic c. The framing effect d. Functional fixedness
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is b. The availability heuristic.
The availability heuristic refers to a cognitive bias where people make judgments about the likelihood of an event based on how easily examples come to mind. In this case, the person concludes that schools are dangerous based on the ease with which they can recall instances where someone got injured at school. Since those examples are readily available in their memory, they overestimate the frequency of injuries in schools, even though the actual rate might be lower.
This bias occurs because vivid or recent memories are more easily recalled, and they disproportionately influence decision-making and judgment. The availability heuristic can lead to faulty conclusions and skewed perceptions, as the memory of specific instances is not always representative of the broader reality. For example, if someone had recently heard news reports about accidents at schools, those events may be more available in their memory, leading them to overestimate how common such accidents are.
This reasoning is different from other cognitive biases. Categorization by prototypes involves making judgments based on a general prototype or an idealized example. The framing effect refers to how the presentation of information (e.g., the way a question is worded) can influence decisions. Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias where a person is unable to see alternative uses for an object beyond its traditional function.
In summary, the availability heuristic distorts judgment by making more memorable or recent examples appear more common or likely than they actually are. Recognizing this bias can help improve decision-making by encouraging a more accurate assessment of probabilities, free from the influence of easily recalled instances.