When people are asked which is more common, death by homicide or death by stroke, they often choose homicide because they hear about more murders than they do about strokes. In this instance, people are led astray in their judgments by:
A)the representativeness heuristic.
B)the framing effect.
C)a mental set.
D)the availability heuristic.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The availability heuristic is the tendency to judge the likelihood of an event based on how easily it comes to mind. In this case, the availability of information about homicides in the media leads people to overestimate their frequency compared to strokes, which receive less coverage.

When People Are Asked Which Is More Common, Death by Homicide