Last week, Mike heard about five separate airplane crashes on the news. Even though, overall, motorcycle accidents account for more accidents than plane crashes do, Mike decides to ride his motorcycle from Washington to Atlanta instead of flying. What is Mike's reasoning error based on?
A) the availability heuristic
B) a mental set
C) a syllogistic error
D) a problem of framing

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mike is making a reasoning error based on the availability heuristic, which is the tendency to overestimate the likelihood of an event based on how easily it comes to mind. In this case, the multiple news reports of plane crashes have made plane crashes more salient to Mike's mind, leading him to believe that they are more common than they actually are.

Last Week, Mike Heard About Five Separate Airplane Crashes on the News