When people use the representativeness heuristic to estimate probabilities for events, they base their estimates on:
A)the ease with which examples can be brought to mind
B)the similarity between the event in question and their prototype
C)the difference between the event in question and their starting estimate
D)mathematical calculations of the expected value

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The representativeness heuristic is based on how similar an event is to our prototype or typical example of that event. We make judgments about probability based on how well an event matches our expectations, rather than on statistical or numerical evidence. The ease of bringing examples to mind is a factor in availability heuristic, not representativeness heuristic. The difference between the event in question and starting estimate is not a factor in either heuristic. Mathematical calculations of expected value is a more analytical approach to probability estimation, which is not related to representativeness heuristic.

When People Use the Representativeness Heuristic to Estimate Probabilities for Events