Asked by Avery Randall on Jul 20, 2024
Verified
Assume that Congress is considering revising its approach to welfare and to this end is hearing a range of testimony. A member of Congress who uses the availability heuristic would be most likely to
A) want to experiment with numerous possible approaches to see which of these seems to work best.
B) want to cling to approaches to welfare that seem to have had some success in the past.
C) refuse to be budged from his or her beliefs despite persuasive testimony to the contrary.
D) base his or her ideas on the most vivid,memorable testimony given,even though many of the statistics presented run counter to this testimony.
Availability Heuristic
A mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to a given person's mind when considering a specific topic or decision.
Congress
The national legislative body of a country, particularly in the United States, it is composed of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
Welfare
A system of support provided by the government or private organizations to ensure the basic living standards of individuals or communities.
- Identify and describe cognitive biases including belief perseverance, confirmation bias, and the availability heuristic.
- Investigate how our mental structures and processes affect our perception and decision-making.
Verified Answer
WA
what's app statusJul 21, 2024
Final Answer :
D
Explanation :
The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that relies on immediate examples that come to a person's mind when evaluating a specific topic, concept, method, or decision. Therefore, a member of Congress using the availability heuristic would be most likely to base his or her ideas on the most vivid, memorable testimony given, even if it contradicts the majority of the statistics presented. This is because the vividness and memorability of the testimony make it more readily available in the person's mind, influencing their judgment more than less memorable but potentially more accurate information.
Learning Objectives
- Identify and describe cognitive biases including belief perseverance, confirmation bias, and the availability heuristic.
- Investigate how our mental structures and processes affect our perception and decision-making.