Elise sees an older woman setting on the ground outside a building and assumes that she must be begging for money as many others do in that area. As it happens, the woman had become dizzy and was sitting until she safely regained her balance. Elise likely used which of the following in making her judgment?
A) a mental set
B) acalculia
C) the availability heuristic
D) the representativeness heuristic

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Elise likely used the representativeness heuristic, which involves judging the likelihood of something based on how closely it matches a prototype or stereotype. She assumed the woman was begging because that matched her mental stereotype of people sitting on the ground in that area.

Elise Sees an Older Woman Setting on the Ground Outside