Jonathan is untidy, outgoing, and a chain smoker. He frequently stays up late and has a very flexible work schedule. Given this description, most people would guess that Jonathan is a bartender (which he is not) rather than a tax accountant (which he is). This example illustrates the influence of:
A)the availability heuristic.
B)functional fixedness.
C)the representativeness heuristic.
D)linguistic relativity.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The example given illustrates the representativeness heuristic, which is the tendency to judge the likelihood of an event based on how well it matches a particular prototype or stereotype. In this case, Jonathan's characteristics fit the stereotype of a bartender more than a tax accountant, leading people to mistakenly assume he is a bartender. The availability heuristic (A) refers to the tendency to make judgments based on how easily available or retrievable information is, and is not applicable in this scenario. Functional fixedness (B) is the tendency to think of an object only in terms of its most common use, and does not apply here. Linguistic relativity (D) is the idea that the language one speaks affects the way they think, and is not relevant to this example.

Jonathan Is Untidy, Outgoing, and a Chain Smoker