After media coverage of two spectacular train crashes, people overestimated the probability of being killed or injured in a train crash and exaggerated the dangers of train travel. This example illustrates:

Question

Social Studies

Ellis Ferrell

24 April, 03:27

After media coverage of two spectacular train crashes, people overestimated the probability of being killed or injured in a train crash and exaggerated the dangers of train travel. This example illustrates:

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Answers (1)

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Tania Short · Answer 1

The correct answer is: availability heuristic

Explanation:

The availability heuristic occurs when people judges the likelyhood of an event based on how easily an example of the event comes to mind. Under the availability heuristic, people tend to base their judgement on recent information that can be easily recalled, ignoring other relevant facts.

By basing their opinions on the latest news people can overestimate the likelyhood of an event, resulting in an important bias.