If someone estimates that more people die from plane crashes than from car accidents each year based on that person's exposure to typical media coverage of these two events, then the estimate of that person is:
A) inaccurate based on representativeness.
B) inaccurate based on availability.
C) probably incorrect based on an illusory correlation.
D) correct based on what is expected from probability theory and base rate data.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

This is an example of availability heuristic, where the person's estimate is based on the vividness and frequency of information retrieved from memory (i.e., media coverage) rather than statistical data. In reality, more people die from car accidents than from plane crashes each year.

If Someone Estimates That More People Die from Plane Crashes