Emotion-laden images of unusual but vivid cases of abducted children may lead many parents to experience exaggerated fears of letting their children walk to school.The exaggerated fears best illustrate the impact of
A) fixation.
B) belief perseverance.
C) confirmation bias.
D) the availability heuristic.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The described scenario is an example of the availability heuristic. This is a mental shortcut in which individuals rely on easily accessible or vivid examples when making judgments or decisions, regardless of their actual frequency or likelihood. The emotion-laden images of abducted children are readily available in the media and therefore more easily accessible in people's minds, leading to overestimation of the likelihood of such events occurring.

Emotion-Laden Images of Unusual but Vivid Cases of Abducted Children