John learns about Michelle, a student at a state university in NY, who has blond hair, enjoys the summer, and likes the beach. John assumes she is from California (given the stereotypes about women from California) despite the fact that over 85% of students at this state university are from NY. This is best explained by
A) divergent thinking.
B) algorithms.
C) knowledge of the base rate.
D) the representativeness bias.
E) convergent thinking.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

John's assumption about Michelle is an example of the representativeness bias, where he relies too heavily on stereotypes and ignores base rate information (i.e., the fact that most students at the state university are from NY).

John Learns About Michelle, a Student at a State University