Question

After learning that her two best friends had lost their jobs, Mariah began to grossly overestimate the national unemployment rate. Mariah's reaction best illustrates the consequences of____________.
A) confirmation bias.
B) the availability heuristic.
C) the representativeness heuristic.
D) the belief perseverance phenomenon.
E) the framing effect.

Answer 1

Answer:

b. The availability heuristic

Explanation:

In psychology, the term availability heuristic refers to the tendency that people have to rely on immediate examples (usually close to them) when they have to evaluate a broader topic or concept. In other words, people make judgements based on specific examples that come to their mind.

In this example, two of Mariah's friends lost their jobs. Now Mariah is grossly overestimating the national unemployment rate. We can see that Mariah is relying on immediate examples like what just happened to her two best friends to form an opinion on the national unemployment rate. Therefore, this would be an example of availability heuristic.