On the first day of class, we see a middle-aged man at the front of the room, talking to a younger man. If we assume the older man is the professor and the younger man is the student, we are relying on _____.
A) overconfidence phenomenon
B) representativeness heuristic
C) belief perseverance
D) misinformation effect

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

We are relying on the representativeness heuristic, which is a mental shortcut that involves making assumptions based on our preconceived notions of what a professor and a student look like. We are using stereotypes to guide our assumption, rather than considering any other information that may be available.

On the First Day of Class, We See a Middle-Aged