Availability heuristic
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The availability heuristic is a mental shortcut that occurs when people make judgments about the probability of events by how easy it is to think of examples. The availability heuristic operates on the notion that, "if you can think of it, it must be important." The availability of consequences associated with an action is positively related to perceptions of the magnitude of the consequences of that action. In other words, the easier it is to recall the consequences of something, the greater we perceive these consequences to be. Sometimes, this heuristic is beneficial, but the frequencies that events come to mind are usually not accurate reflections of their actual probability in real life.
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See also
- Affect heuristic
- Agenda-setting theory
- Anecdotal evidence
- Anecdotal value
- Attribute substitution
- Gambler's fallacy
- Illusory correlation
- List of biases in judgment and decision making
- Misleading vividness
- Processing fluency
- Representativeness heuristic
- Texas sharpshooter fallacy
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